Qualified

I think sometimes we sit back and evalute all the good and negative things in our lives and weigh them in order to determine if we are "qualified" to lead others into a mighty move of God. On the weeks where I have daily devotion time and don't make too many mistakes I tend to feel more equipped to lead a generation into revival. Then there are those days where I feel like I am barley hanging on to the side of the "narrow" path and can't imagine leading anything. I trust that I am not the only one who goes through this cycle occasionaly. I was reading in Matthew the other day and this light hit me concerning being "qaulified" to change the world with Jesus...

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. - Matthew 4:18-25

Did you notice that there was nothing "special" or super "good" about these guys? They were just doing their daily work routine and Jesus calls them to follow Him and immediately they wittness revival breaking out, the sick being healed, demons being cast out, and the kingdom of Heaven preached. Huge crowds begin to surround Jesus, and these guys are in the middle of it...and the only "qualification" it required was to stop life as normal and follow Him. I want to encourage us today that we are all 100% qualified to move in signs, wonders, and lead this world into the greateast revival it has ever wittnessed the moment we lay down our "nets" and follow Jesus. The 12 disciples made several mistakes after they began to walk with Jesus...they wanted to call down fire on people(anger) stole money(Judas) denied they knew Christ(Peter) ran and hid instead of standing firm in their belief(Crucifixtion Day....and yet they are the ones that walked the closest to Jesus on earth, and they are the men and women of High Esteem that turned the entire world upside down. So no matter what struggles you are overcoming, or how great your week has been...since the day you layed down "life as normal" and began to follow Jesus, you have been and still are completely qualified to change this world...and you have all you need to do it! - GRACE-

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. - Romans 8:28-30

Living By The Spirit

I have been thinking and studying this week about walking in the Spirit. Paul in the book of Galatians throws out this amazing sentence..."So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law." What does it mean to live by the Spirit? How does a person live at all? We breathe, eat, sleep, excercise, play, dance...and so much more. So here is the challenge and amazing adventure opportunity we all have...To breathe, eat, sleep, dream, dance, play all by the Holy Spirit.

What would our lives look like if we let Holy Spirit move on and through us the way Jesus let Him. I think the time is now for a generation to fully submit to the Spirt's will just as Jesus did...He was able to change the entire world in 3 years of public ministry because He only did what the Father wanted Him to, and he lived FULLY by the Spirit. We all have the same ability to live FULLY by the Spirit, but it is our choice to give Him full control. Paul lays it out that if we live by the Spirit, we will overcome the sinful desires of our heart. That doesn't mean that the war inside us concerning the lust of our flesh will go away, but we will have victory over it. It's our choice of what side of ourselves we are going to feed...we can feed our Spirit, and grow in strength, or feed our sinful desires and become weaker in the Spirit. I encourage you this upcoming week to spend time in the presence of the LORD to feed and build up your Spirit...to ask Holy Sprirt to lead you and build character in you.

Think of a rainy day...if you walk with an umbrella then you will remain dry and have no trace of rain on you, but if you have no umbrella as you walk the rain will begin to soak through your clothes and if you stay in it long enough you will literally have water dripping off of your body. Let's remove whatever umbrella we are holding on to that is keeping the Spirit from soaking us. Only then will we begin to FULLY walk in and live by the Spirit and drip glory on all we encounter :)

GRACE!

Home In Love

So I got an encouraging email from a friend yesterday, and in it he encouraged me to to go on a new journey with the Lord of not working for Him, but walking with Him. It got me thinking of how sometimes, ( well most of the time), all us disciples of Jesus strive so hard to please Him and have a good performance here on planet earth. We spend our time, energy, and money on leadership training classes, new study guides, 12 step better christian programs, and so many other things that are suppose to keep our passion burning for Jesus. When in truth Jesus, already gave us the clear one step program to remain passionate and in love with Him. Check out John in the Message Bible:

I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing. - John 15:5

Then skip a few verses:

I've loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you'll remain intimately at home in my love. That's what I've done—kept my Father's commands and made myself at home in his love.
- John 15:9-10

Instead of trying to accomplish a great work on our own, we must abide in the Love of Christ. It's an amazing invitation from the Lord to make ourselves at home in His Love. So do this one thing with me this week...Instead of trying to accomplish some "great" work for the kingdom, lets focus on resting and abiding in the Love of the Father. Lets change our focus from changing the world to being great Sons & Daughters. Think about how we act when we are at home:

we are relaxed, take our shoes off, have no pressure to perfrom, we catch up on our favorite shows, waste hours on facebook, we sing out loud in the shower...WE ARE FREE!!!

This week lets just spend time at HOME in the love of Daddy. Be carefree, take your shoes off, hang out on facebook with Jesus...make our goal spending time with Him...and out of abiding in His love....We will all change the world naturally, the way Jesus did!

GRACE!

A Different Kind Of Sacrifice

I was reading the book of Hebrews in The Message the other day and I came across this amazing verse:

Make sure you don't take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of "sacrifice"—that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets. - Hebrews 13:16

The writer is encouraging us not to become lazy in working for good, and to not take what we have inside for granted. We as the people of God are called to share what we have with all those around us. God has deposited a love and power in us that the world is in desperate need of. I think for far too long the body of Christ has locked themselves behind fancy buildings and theology. The heart of God is that we would encounter people where they are at, not wait for them to enter our meeting places. The verse says God takes pleasure in acts of worship in places that we take for granted everyday. Places like, the kitchen with family, the workplace with co-wokers and customers, and the streets filled with strangers. We all pass by people on street corners and resteraunts everyday. I want to encourage you along with the writer of Hebrews today to not take for granted the common situations you are in daily, and to share the goodness of God today. Lets offer God a different kind of sacrifice, ones that cost us 10 more minutes at Starbucks because we are praying for a stranger. Ones that cost us being a few minutes late to work because a stranger needed help beside the road. Sacrifices that cost us missing our favorite show because our kids need prayer.

Be strong today and walk in the full glory of God. I pray that you do not take the life God gives you for granted, may you all experience the fullness of His grace today!

GRACE and LOVE!!

Letting God Decide

I have been reading 1 Corinthians the past few days and came across these amazing few sentences in Chapter 4.


It matters very little to me what you think of me, even less where I rank in popular opinion. I don't even rank myself. Comparisons in these matters are pointless. I'm not aware of anything that would disqualify me from being a good guide for you, but that doesn't mean much. The Master makes that judgment.
So don't get ahead of the Master and jump to conclusions with your judgments before all the evidence is in. When he comes, he will bring out in the open and place in evidence all kinds of things we never even dreamed of—inner motives and purposes and prayers. Only then will any one of us get to hear the "Well done!" of God. 1 Corinthians 4:3-5 (The Message)

I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. 1 Corinthians 4:3-5 (NIV)

I love how Paul says that he does not even judge or rank himself. He literally leaves all judgement to God. I think that so many times we as believers find ourselves fighting for a higher ranking in the church world, or to become the best at what we do. In our stride to become top notch we tend to look at those around us and begin to compare ourselves. Then one of two things occur...we either judge them by there shortcomings, or we judge ourselves because of our lack.

What Paul is stressing here is that we are not to rank ourselves or others at all. We are to leave all the ranking to God. Our job is to love God and to seek first the Kingdom of Heaven. Only God knows the hearts and motives of people. We are not to assume that someone deserves punishment because there is sin in thier life...they might be on their face daily praying to overcome...likewise we cannot rank others as "good" because thier life looks all clean and tidy...they may have not relied on God for anyhting. The point I want to encourage you with today is...Don't be too hard on yourself or others. Live in peace with all, and extend Grace and Love to those around you. If a friend is struggling...reach out a helping hand, don't pass judgment because "you would never do that". WALK IN LOVE AND LET DADDY GOD HANDLE REVEALING OUR HEARTS.

GRACE AND LOVE!!

Getting Raw

Webster Defines the word Raw as: being in or nearly in the natural state : not processed or purified, not diluted or blended, unprepared or imperfectly prepared for use, not being in polished, finished, or processed form...

Wow! What if we came to God that way everyday..RAW. I know in my own life that there have been times that I feel guilty for not being all put together and polished. The enemy beats me down with accusations of not being a good example, or still having struggles in my life. The truth is that God desires us to be naked before Him. To not put on nice clean clothes of religion, but to come before Him RAW, unprepared, and imperfect. Because in the place of naked honesty we realize despite all our impurities Daddy loves us. That in our weakness His strength really is shown in us. When you look at the people Jesus ministerd to...not one of them had there stuff together...One woman was caught in the act of adultery and drug before Him naked, and what does He do? In her nakedness and unprepared state Jesus grants her mercy and hope and she becomes a disciple. (John 8:3-11)

The woman at the well was in adultery and had been divorced several times, yet Jesus goes out of His way to meet her, and set her free from guilt, and turns her into an evangelist that changes an entire city. (John 4)

The point is that I want to encourage you today to be honest before God. Be RAW before Him. Don't pretend to have all your junk together...be open with the struggles you are going through and the sins you are overcoming...Let the love of God pour over you in your weak un-polished state, and let the Grace of God encourgae you to overcome today. I leave you with this thought..here is what Jesus thinks about the whole issue of being RAW and honest before Him:

"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

- Luke 18:10-14

The World, Really?

The most taught scripture in Sunday Schools, Bible Clubs, and VBS's around the world has to be John 3:16. Every kid who attends church between the ages of 5 and 12 have learned this verse. Yet, it puzzles me that despite all the memorization very few people truly believe what it says...


This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. - John 3:16-18 (The Message Version)

Does that really say that God loves the world? Because if it does that would be a pretty liberal statement. The truth is that God truly does love the world; so much that He gave His Son over to death and punishment for it. It seems like all we have done in Sunday Schools is taught kids the importance of memorizing scripture, but not imparting the revelation behind the words they are reading. We must take time to let the word develop in us and allow Holy Spirit to reveal truth to us. This verese makes is it so clear that God loves the world and made a way to have the world despite all the wickedness and sin. God sees past the sin and sees the treasure within every man woman and child on the planet. Sin isn't an issue for God becaus He dealt with the sin of the entire earth when He crushed His Son on Calvary.

Still so many voices out there that have grown up in churches all over the world memorizing scripture know John 3:16 by heart, yet they still proclaim that the world deserves judgement for it's sin and wickedness. They release prophetic words of doom and destruction and call it the discipline of God. When in truth Jesus took all punishment for the sins of the world. Every person on the planet is covered in the blood of Jesus...just not all of them know it yet. Beloved it's time we seek revelation on the way God loves the people of the world, and we share the message of hope and salvation. No more judgment talks and scaring people out of hell and into heaven. Lets preach love, and watch as the enter into a relationship with God through love and appreciation. Lets preach the truth of John 3:16

GRACE!!!

Good News

So I was thinking about how much God loves the world. He gave everything to have it, and He is still reachng out today. It's not like Jesus died, so that was God's one shot at gaining mankind. It was the price it took to make mankind available to Him again. We get to partner with God everyday to reach out to the world around us and share the good news with them that God has an open hand to them.

We were in Red Robin yesterday for lunch and this waiter kept walking past us. The Lord gave Krista a word for him, but since he was so busy she wrote it down as a note for him, and as we were leaving handed him the note. Nothing huge right? Just a simple note saying that God knew where he was and that he had an incredible destiny. Friends changing the world is that easy... to share the good news of God's love and grace with those we come in contact with everyday.

Jesus paid the ultimate price to gain this world that he loves desperatley. Lets partner with him today and share the good news of love to people that are hurting..look past all their sins, because thats what God does...Let us be a people that see people by their destiny and the true price that Jesus declared they are worth. No matter what they look like, or what sin they are in....lets share love and grace!

Power Instead Of Theology

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. - 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Paul lays it out pretty clear here that we need not rely on our knowledge and ability to preach a good five point sermon to reach a people. We must like Paul forget everything that theology has taugt us and rely on nothing other than the truth that Jesus died for the sins of the world. I think sometimes we give Paul all this credit for being such a good theologian, yet Paul himself said that only relied on the message of God's grace and on the demonstrion of God's power. I don't belive that Paul would hold himself to the title of greatest apostle ever as so many in the church do. I believe that Paul would hold Jesus above himself, and encourage us to go for the same things he(Paul) did. We use paul as an example of how to be a great preahcer and church starter, yet Paul was just trying to follow the life example set by Christ to accomplish all his work. He knew nothing except Christ crucified. He was weak and fearful when he preached. He needed God to show up and move in power, or he knew his message was useless.

Paul was just like us...not a Super Apostle that had access to greater revelation than we do. I believe if we, like Paul, humble ourselves before the Lord and simply move in Love and Grace, then we too can have the same impact on the world. The first step is to admit we don't "know" enough and we can't preach good enough to change anything. We must rely on God alone, and we must cry out for a demonstration of His Power! If there are no signs and wonders following our mnistries, then we have to question what God we are really serving. Because the God of Jesus, and Paul always moved in Power. Theological preaching must end, and Love and Power Preaching must begin!

Tap Into The Invisible

Just sitting here with my daughter this morning drinking coffee and thinking of how great is is to be alive. The Lord has been speaking to me alot lately about little things. Little things can give us so much life, yet we rarely stop to notice them. Like having my daughter in my lap as I type. She loves and wants to be with me, kind of like Daddy God. He loves and wants to be with us. We have an open invitaion to sit in His lap daily and just let Him love on us.

There are a thousand little things God is doing each day on our behalf to let us know He loves us. We all woke up today, maybe not in the same situations, but the fact that we are still here proves He loves us and has not given up on any of us! Take time today to stop and smell the rose, so to speak. Ask Holy Spirit to reveal to you all the little things that scream of God's goodness all around you. Take full advantage of His love and Grace!

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:20

Isn't that amazing that God's "invisible" qualities have been clearly seen. I urge you this week to tap into the invisible. God has surrounded us with His goodness, but it's up to us what we see. Do we focus on the negative situations and surroundings we find ourselves in at times, or do we tap in to the invisible realm and see all the little things of goodness God has covered our lives in.

GRACE!

Joy

I had to work early this morning, so right now it's not Coffee & Jesus, but Wine & Jesus. Which will totally offend any of you pharisees out there..LOL! Anyway..had a great day at work, Jesus healed a young man's back pain, and He did it in between orders at the Drive-Thru Window. It is amazing how much God can do in a short span of time if we give Him the chance.

Everytime I see the Lord heal someone, or speak to them it fills my heart with Joy. No matter what is going on, or how I feel that day, or what struggles I have. Seeing the Lord move and encounter people always cheers me up.

Psalm 21:1-6
1 O LORD, the king rejoices in your strength.
How great is his joy in the victories you give!
2 You have granted him the desire of his heart
and have not withheld the request of his lips.
Selah

3 You welcomed him with rich blessings
and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.

4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
length of days, for ever and ever.

5 Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;
you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.

6 Surely you have granted him eternal blessings
and made him glad with the joy of your presence

May we all be filled with the joy of His presence today and everyday for that matter. For He is always moving, always blessing, and always pouring out good things! LOVE TO ALL!!

Obedience Test

I listened to a message yeaterday by Larry Randolph, and he was speaking of obedience. It got me thinking that what fun it would be to ask the Lord to test my obedience to His voice. To work out my muscle of responding to His voice basically. In 1 Samuel 15:22, Samuel states to Saul that:
"Do you think all God wants are sacrifices—
empty rituals just for show?
He wants you to listen to him!
Plain listening is the thing,
not staging a lavish religious production.
Not doing what God tells you
is far worse than fooling around in the occult."(The Message)

We all have the tendency to fall into mindless religious rituals. We tithe, attend church, give to the poor, read our Bibles all because it's the "good Christian" thing to do. Yet are hearts are detached from these acts, and we have become numb to His voice and what He is specifically asking us to do today. We miss the little things He is asking of us everyday by always running around in religious acts of sacrifice. When what He wants is to be able to speak to us at random times and for us to respond.

So join me this week as I ask God to test my obedience to His voice. I am asking that He speaks to me at Random times in awkward situations to grow my faith in hearing His voice. To pray for people in public, or give away money to a complete stranger, and it might even be as simple as getting up at 6am just to sit with Him. Fasten your seatbelts though because it's going to be a radical trip in faith this week.

The Prodigal Father

I have been thinking lately that Religion has titled the Parable Jesus told in Luke 15 as " The Prodigal Son" because a spirit Religion focuses on sin, and taking steps back and fourth, But if the defintion of Prodigal is someone who lives recklessly, spends lavishly, and extravagantly, to me that decribes our Father in heaven,who gave all, and continues to give reckless extravagent grace to sinners.

If we focus on the mistakes we make as people we will forget about the good work Daddy is doing in us all. Also if we look down and judge others for their struggles, we miss out on the joy and inhertance we live have available to us now. Above all Jesus wants us to be like the Father to this world...not holding anger or bitterness towards those who hurt us, and to give Prodigally to all those in need, especially the ones who have stumbled and need grace. We get to live like Father God and give reckless extravagant grace and love to all we meet!

Jesus was telling us about our Father, and how we should live, not a screw up kid who got lucky Daddy was in a good mood..GRACE TO ALL!!