Numbers 13:30 "But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!”
This week we've been praying and thinking about how we can conquer the giants in our lives. I have sent out many emails with scriptures to encourage fellow believers. You have prayed for each other...and for people that you don't even know to defeat those extreme challenges.
How much do you believe it is REALLY going to happen?
I mean..c'mon...once this week is over...we'll all go right back to worrying and fretting about those challenges in our lives that seem impossible. Right back to wondering if God it truly able to handle the list that we made on Monday.
You don't have to go back.
Let's look at today's verse...look at what Caleb said... "We can certainly conquer it!" What gave Caleb his confidence? How could he be so sure that they wouldn't be crushed by the giants of the land? It was his faith. Caleb believed with all of his heart that God would protect him from whatever insurmountable struggles he might face...
How about you? On a scale of 1-10, what is your level of confidence that God will be able to defeat those giants in your life? Maybe this verse will help...
Ephesians 3:20
" Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."
God CAN do it. God WANTS to do it. God WILL do it...all in His time... Know that I have been praying for you this week as you stare those giants down. Have confidence in your Creator.... He is much bigger than any giant.
See you tomorrow for prayer Friday,
Pastor Brian
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
More Than a Grasshopper
Numbers 13:33 We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”
How small do you feel this morning? There are times when I wake up and feel like I am incredibly strong...filled with the power of the Holy Spirit...like I can take on the world! Unfortunately, there are many mornings when I feel exactly the opposite: powerless, weak, puny, and small. It seems like these are the days when the giants in my life grow about 3 inches. I get smaller...and they get larger. Have you felt this way? Feel like a grasshopper in a land of giants? Here are some of the verses that I turn to when I am feeling small and beatable:
John 16:33
"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Psalm 139:7-10
"I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me."
2 Corinthians 12:9
"Each time he said,“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me."
Psalm 37:23-24
"The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the Lord holds them by the hand."
Ephesians 3:20
" Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."
Revelation 19:6
"Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder:
How small do you feel this morning? There are times when I wake up and feel like I am incredibly strong...filled with the power of the Holy Spirit...like I can take on the world! Unfortunately, there are many mornings when I feel exactly the opposite: powerless, weak, puny, and small. It seems like these are the days when the giants in my life grow about 3 inches. I get smaller...and they get larger. Have you felt this way? Feel like a grasshopper in a land of giants? Here are some of the verses that I turn to when I am feeling small and beatable:
John 16:33
"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Psalm 139:7-10
"I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me."
2 Corinthians 12:9
"Each time he said,
Psalm 37:23-24
"The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the Lord holds them by the hand."
Ephesians 3:20
" Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."
Revelation 19:6
"Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder:
'Praise the Lord!
For the Lord our God,the Almighty, reigns.'"
God reigns indeed. Nothing has changed with Him. He has overcome the world...He has healed the sick...raised the dead...heard every prayer you've ever whispered...
He loves you so much that He has given you a purpose and the gifts to accomplish it. You are indeed valuable...and through God's strength you are a giant-killer.
See you in the morning,
Pastor Brian
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Take Heart
John 16:33
This morning, let's look at the list you made yesterday...what were the top 3 "giants" that you are facing? Didn't make your list yet? Go ahead...I'll wait...
.
.
.
.
Got your list? Great! Now let's get to work!
Read today's scripture again...notice the words...it doesn't say you might have troubles. It doesn't even say you probably will have troubles... it says you WILL have MANY trials and sorrows. Is that true in your life? It certainly is in mine! So many believe that when they accept Christ as Lord and Savior that their troubles will go away. As you may already know, that certainly isn't the case. You will have challenges that seem insurmountable. They will seem impossible. They will be giant.
The list you hold in your hand is full of giants. Elements of your life that you aren't sure you'll ever get through... Let's look at the 2nd part of the verse: "But take heart, because I have overcome the world." I love that expression..."take heart" What does that mean?
It simply means...be encouraged. Never forget Who is in control. Remember past victories that God has led you through. Think about how powerful God is. Understand that the Creator of the universe is running your life specifically. Never give up hope. Always give up control to Him.
Take your list of 3 things...and write this verse above it. Underline it in your Bibles. It is such a source of hope when things seem at their bleakest. God overcame the world...He can, in His own time, defeat the biggest problems in your life. We must stay patient, stay connected to Him, and never forget how much He cares about us.
See you in the morning...
Pastor Brian
Monday, September 1, 2008
Giants
Numbers 13:28 "But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak!"
I remember wrestling in middle school. Back then I was a much lighter guy of about 98 pounds...and I was on the edge of the dividing line between those that wrestled in the 90-98 pound class and those that wrestled 99-110. It never failed that in tournaments, I would get placed in the latter category. I was out-weighted, oversized, and overmatched in every possible way. I would get into matches and just push with everything I had to barely move my opponent. Many times, the matches would end embarassingly with my shoulders pinned to the mat.
That sometimes happens in our spiritual lives as well. Have you ever felt like you were way too small to handle a problem that was way too big? Maybe it was a situation that you initiated..maybe not. In either case, you had to decide whether to fight or flee....stick it our or pack it in...wrestle with it or forfeit.
Maybe that's happening now... Maybe there are some "giants" that you just can't seem to beat in your life. They are bigger than you...and stronger...and all seems hopeless. That's what we're going to discuss this week...overcoming those giants...I hope you'll stay with me this week and we can learn together the perspective we need to conquer what seems impossible...
This morning...let's do this.... make a list of three giants that you are facing in your life...they can be emotional, financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual... they can be anything that right now seems too big to defeat. In your journal, write a prayer asking God to reveal to you those giants... and additionally pray that He will begin even today to open your heart and mind to the perspective that you will need to defeat them...
Blessings to you this morning and always,
Pastor Brian
I remember wrestling in middle school. Back then I was a much lighter guy of about 98 pounds...and I was on the edge of the dividing line between those that wrestled in the 90-98 pound class and those that wrestled 99-110. It never failed that in tournaments, I would get placed in the latter category. I was out-weighted, oversized, and overmatched in every possible way. I would get into matches and just push with everything I had to barely move my opponent. Many times, the matches would end embarassingly with my shoulders pinned to the mat.
That sometimes happens in our spiritual lives as well. Have you ever felt like you were way too small to handle a problem that was way too big? Maybe it was a situation that you initiated..maybe not. In either case, you had to decide whether to fight or flee....stick it our or pack it in...wrestle with it or forfeit.
Maybe that's happening now... Maybe there are some "giants" that you just can't seem to beat in your life. They are bigger than you...and stronger...and all seems hopeless. That's what we're going to discuss this week...overcoming those giants...I hope you'll stay with me this week and we can learn together the perspective we need to conquer what seems impossible...
This morning...let's do this.... make a list of three giants that you are facing in your life...they can be emotional, financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual... they can be anything that right now seems too big to defeat. In your journal, write a prayer asking God to reveal to you those giants... and additionally pray that He will begin even today to open your heart and mind to the perspective that you will need to defeat them...
Blessings to you this morning and always,
Pastor Brian
Friday, August 29, 2008
Prayer Day
"Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:16
Today, as we spend another great morning together, let's make it a day of thanks...
Thank God for this computer you are using to read this
Thank God for another day of breath
Thank God for your health (no matter what shape you're in)
Thank God for the Internet Campus
Thank God for His forgiveness
Thank God for prayer
Thank God for your neighbors
Thank God for this planet
Thanks God for sending His Son.
He loves you so incredibly much...let's spend our quiet time praising Him for what He's done in our lives...
See you online this weekend,
Pastor Brian
1 Thessalonians 5:16
Today, as we spend another great morning together, let's make it a day of thanks...
Thank God for this computer you are using to read this
Thank God for another day of breath
Thank God for your health (no matter what shape you're in)
Thank God for the Internet Campus
Thank God for His forgiveness
Thank God for prayer
Thank God for your neighbors
Thank God for this planet
Thanks God for sending His Son.
He loves you so incredibly much...let's spend our quiet time praising Him for what He's done in our lives...
See you online this weekend,
Pastor Brian
Thursday, August 28, 2008
The D Word
2 Tim 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."
How many of us like the term "discipline." I don't. I guess it stems back from when I was a kid. That word implies structure...rules...barriers... It tells me that I am going to be forced to do something that I don't necessarily want to do even when I know that it is good for me. Then I looked at today's verse...it doesn't just say "discipline" it says "self-discipline." It's on me. I have to be the initiator of a daily dose of self-inflicted reality. I am going to have to push myself harder than I feel comfortable doing. It's means I have to get rid of what I want to do all of the time and focus on what God wants me to do with my life...
Exactly.
But that is not the natural bend of the flesh. Deep down we know what we need to do but find it far easier to do what we want to do. I know that I need to love others, take care of my body, speak kind words all of the time, give of what I have, and memorize and study the scriptures often. But sometimes I struggle with doing it.
This morning, I asked myself this question...maybe it will help you focus in on this... "When was the last time I denied myself something because God wanted me to do something else."
I find that I don't do this as often as I should. How about you? Could you make a list of 5 things that you have changed about you and your life because you were dedicated to self-discipline? It's a tough question to ask yourself. The apostle Paul in the Bible says that he had to commit every day to self-discipline...every day!
Some days for me, it's an hourly re-commitment. Some days I can get by disciplining myself to the ways of God much easier. But here's what I do know...I can't go the the land of "sold-out" for God without being willing to change what I was doing in the land of "hold-out". God's got so much for us and He wants to give it to us...we just have to be willing to follow the map laid out in today's scripture verse... realize God's power, love others, and practice self-discipline.
It's just like going to the gym...you may not notice the results right away...but they are there. It just takes persistence and dedication to becoming the person that God created you to be.
See you tomorrow for prayer day,
Pastor Brian
How many of us like the term "discipline." I don't. I guess it stems back from when I was a kid. That word implies structure...rules...barriers... It tells me that I am going to be forced to do something that I don't necessarily want to do even when I know that it is good for me. Then I looked at today's verse...it doesn't just say "discipline" it says "self-discipline." It's on me. I have to be the initiator of a daily dose of self-inflicted reality. I am going to have to push myself harder than I feel comfortable doing. It's means I have to get rid of what I want to do all of the time and focus on what God wants me to do with my life...
Exactly.
But that is not the natural bend of the flesh. Deep down we know what we need to do but find it far easier to do what we want to do. I know that I need to love others, take care of my body, speak kind words all of the time, give of what I have, and memorize and study the scriptures often. But sometimes I struggle with doing it.
This morning, I asked myself this question...maybe it will help you focus in on this... "When was the last time I denied myself something because God wanted me to do something else."
I find that I don't do this as often as I should. How about you? Could you make a list of 5 things that you have changed about you and your life because you were dedicated to self-discipline? It's a tough question to ask yourself. The apostle Paul in the Bible says that he had to commit every day to self-discipline...every day!
Some days for me, it's an hourly re-commitment. Some days I can get by disciplining myself to the ways of God much easier. But here's what I do know...I can't go the the land of "sold-out" for God without being willing to change what I was doing in the land of "hold-out". God's got so much for us and He wants to give it to us...we just have to be willing to follow the map laid out in today's scripture verse... realize God's power, love others, and practice self-discipline.
It's just like going to the gym...you may not notice the results right away...but they are there. It just takes persistence and dedication to becoming the person that God created you to be.
See you tomorrow for prayer day,
Pastor Brian
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Love Audit
2 Tim 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."
I talk to so many people who have a warped sense of what it means to love someone. For some, love is simply a romantic feeling...for others it is a deep understanding of a person's needs or wants. Still others see love as a withholding of aggression or disagreement...for example..."I love him so much I just put up with him..." While each of these instances might be an example of a type of love...Jesus defined love best. When asked what the two most important commandments are, the Savior told us that we need to love God first and then love everyone else like we love ourselves.
Love is an action...a verb.
One of the things that holds many of us back from totally selling out to God's will for our lives is our misunderstanding of love. I know that might sound like it is meant for somebody else...but I invite you this morning to go on a little spiritual audit. Start with answering these questions in your journal:
1) Do I see myself as a loving person?
2) Is the love I show for others for their benefit or mine?
3) How much do I love God?
4) What priority does God have in my life?
5) What did I do yesterday to demonstrate my love for Christ?
6) When was the last time I showed love to someone that didn't deserve it?
7) Do I know the difference between the feeling of love and love itself?
8) How much does God love me?
9) How do I know that God loves me?
10) Do I have anyone in my life that I love unconditionally?
I know these are tough questions...but if we are going to move from the land of "hold out" to the land of "sold out" we need to understand what love is. God IS love...He wants us to love Him and others with a selflessness...a sense of sacrifice... a realization that the love that we receive from Him is also meant for us to share with those that He places in our path.
See you tomorrow,
Pastor Brian
I talk to so many people who have a warped sense of what it means to love someone. For some, love is simply a romantic feeling...for others it is a deep understanding of a person's needs or wants. Still others see love as a withholding of aggression or disagreement...for example..."I love him so much I just put up with him..." While each of these instances might be an example of a type of love...Jesus defined love best. When asked what the two most important commandments are, the Savior told us that we need to love God first and then love everyone else like we love ourselves.
Love is an action...a verb.
One of the things that holds many of us back from totally selling out to God's will for our lives is our misunderstanding of love. I know that might sound like it is meant for somebody else...but I invite you this morning to go on a little spiritual audit. Start with answering these questions in your journal:
1) Do I see myself as a loving person?
2) Is the love I show for others for their benefit or mine?
3) How much do I love God?
4) What priority does God have in my life?
5) What did I do yesterday to demonstrate my love for Christ?
6) When was the last time I showed love to someone that didn't deserve it?
7) Do I know the difference between the feeling of love and love itself?
8) How much does God love me?
9) How do I know that God loves me?
10) Do I have anyone in my life that I love unconditionally?
I know these are tough questions...but if we are going to move from the land of "hold out" to the land of "sold out" we need to understand what love is. God IS love...He wants us to love Him and others with a selflessness...a sense of sacrifice... a realization that the love that we receive from Him is also meant for us to share with those that He places in our path.
See you tomorrow,
Pastor Brian
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