Losing My Life

    It's great to sit around and reminisce about the good times. We cherish our memories and those who we created them with. However, it is never a good thing to be stuck in the past. Have you ever known someone who couldn't seem to get over one season in their life? They tell all the same stories and speak longingly of the "good ol' days." The truth is, Jesus calls us out of that mentality to be forward-thinking.     In His Kingdom, He is always doing a new thing; Jesus never gets stagnant. He doesn't call us to a life of comfortably sitting around and doing the same things over and over until we die, but He is constantly changing and growing us. Therefore, we have to be willing to let go of our past and move forward with Him into new seasons of life. He always will use us, but not always in the same ways. Be open to His guidance and allow yourself to be used by Him in whatever way He sees fit, always keeping your eyes forwards and upwards. Philippians 3

    Living for Jesus is like living in a war zone on enemy territory. Our life is a constant spiritual battle and we always have to have our defenses up. If we let our guard down for a moment, the enemy takes his chance and strikes where we are weak. He is always trying to bring us down. How do we fight then? I love this passage from Ephesians that totally sums up our stance against the Devil. It tells us exactly what we need to be fully protected against the ploys of the enemy. Those things include truth, righteousness, a heart ready and willing to deliver His message to anyone at any time, faith, salvation, and a great knowledge and understanding of God's word. It is when we align these things in our lives that we are able to protect ourselves from Satan's attacks. Are you fully armored and ready to fight? Ephesians 6:10-20 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. Fo

    When facing difficult circumstances, it may be tempting to complain and feel sorry for yourself. We think about how unjust the situation is and berate Jesus for allowing us to be here. But that's just it! He has allowed us to go through those difficult circumstances for a purpose. If we can see past our self pity to focus on Jesus, we might be able to see what He is teaching us. After all, it is when things get tough that our faith grows. I encourage you to be content with where God has placed you today and allow Him to work those things out in your life to grow your faith. It's always easier when we stop our struggling and let Jesus have His way, after all. Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (ESV) Jeremiah 29:1 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope a

    It is easy for us to concentrate on the things in our life that we wish would change. This world we live on cultivates difficulties in our lives daily. However, on days like these it is refreshing and healthy to focus on what we have been blessed with. Jesus is the one thing that brings us hope and restoration through the perils of this world. He brings us out of death and into life. Remember today,  and every other day, the many blessings He has poured out on your life. In this world there will always be destruction and heartache, but Jesus outshines it all. Keep your mindset on Heaven and your eternal rewards and be content with whatever place you're in while here on earth. Philippians 4:11-12 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. (ESV) Hebrews 13:5

    The Christian lifestyle is not an easy one. It is a life full of temptations, trials, and challenges. However, we must remember that we were given the proper tools to walk it out successfully. The fact is we were never meant to live this life in our own power, but in the power of the one who created us. We are far too weak to stand up to the difficulties of this world in our own flesh. Just like the Jews before Jesus' time could not succeed in righteousness by the power of their flesh, nor can we without His power working through us. That is given to us through the Holy Spirit who has been made available to us since Jesus' ascension. He sent us His Spirit so that through His power we could walk out our lives like He did while on earth. Rely on the power of your flesh no longer. Instead, allow the Holy Spirit to work through you, empowering you to live fully for Jesus Christ. Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnes

    In most communities of believers the concept of "spiritual gifts" is misunderstood. In 1 Corinthians, Paul tells the church at Corinth (and us) that he doesn't want them to be unaware on this topic. So today I wanted to clarify on one gift in particular-- prophecy. The Bible is full of prophecy starting from the Old Testament, but what is the point? The purpose behind prophecy isn't to mystify and confound us, but actually to do the opposite.     Prophecy is meant to light the way and to stir a fire in our hearts. It always points to Jesus and the work He is doing, and not to any person's ability to "know" things supernaturally. When practiced properly, prophecy is something that builds up the entire church. It allows us to catch a vision of where Jesus is taking us, and that will never fail to give us hope and strength to keep moving forward in the right direction. That being said, we are all to eagerly desire all spiritual gifts and especially th

    What does it mean to truly walk by the Spirit? I believe it means being in tune with Jesus' and being open to His will for our lives. Jesus' loves a heart that is willing to go where He leads. When we learn to trust Him is when we are truly open to being used by Him in big ways. How can He use anyone who won't follow His voice? I urge you today to lay down your selfish ambitions and take up your cross to follow Jesus. He is leading us to an eternal paradise and it is our purpose on earth to glorify Him and bring others along with us on the journey upwards. Open up your spirit to receive what He is telling you and where He is leading you. The world can be changed if we all simply tune in, listen, and obey His will. Galatians 5:25   Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (NIV) John 14:15   If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (ESV) 1 John 3:24   Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we kno

    On nights like these when TVs across America are tuned into celebrity award show shenanigans, it makes it very clear to me how much emphasis our culture puts on these people. We obsess over what they are wearing, saying, singing, eating, etc. We put so much focus on flawed people that just happen to be in the limelight. It has even become normal to call these people "perfect." When you let all that sink in it's rather sickening.     When we hold people in such high esteem we set ourselves up to be let down. People will never fail to disappoint us no matter how "perfect" they may seem. Also, why do we set flawed individuals as the measuring stick for our lives? If we live our lives according to others' standards and values we will not like the place we end up. There is nothing wrong with admiring others, but we cannot make a doctrine around someone who is by nature flawed. My point is this: focus on Jesus! Living for anyone else or to be like anyone els

    We live in a very conditional world. We think, "if we do this, then we earn that." We are especially conditional towards one another when it comes to relationships. We deem who is worthy to be our friend and who has earned our love based on others' actions. Thank God our relationship with Jesus isn't that way!     None of us deserve His love but He gives it to us anyway. No matter how many times we turn away from Him and run back, His love remains constant. He loves us just as much on the days that we have sinned outrageously than He does on those when we are totally locked into Him. You can't earn His love and you certainly can't lose it.     Don't get caught believing the lie that you have shamed and disappointed Jesus when you mess up. He is perfect and unchanging no matter what our actions are and His love for you remains the same. Nothing can separate us from His unconditional love! Hebrews 13:8   Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today

    Jesus has designed us to exude His light into this world of darkness. We are not supposed to keep that light to ourselves and do nothing with it, but to allow it to shine brightly through us in all that we do. This means that we actually have to get out into the dark places of the world to bring it to light. We cannot get stuck being afraid of the dark for Jesus is so much bigger than it. He has already won the war against Satan and all the forces of darkness. Let us live in that reality and allow His light to shine through us to expel the darkness! Mark 4:21-23 Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine. For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” (NLT) Philippians 2:14-15 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you

    As I've talked about many times before, it is the job of all of us who claim to follow Jesus to proclaim His gospel to the world. Granted, that looks different in each of our lives. Some of us will be pastors and missionaries and some of us will just proclaim Him in our workplace, the gym, or wherever life takes us. All are equally important. However, the experience of ministry is very much the same for us no matter the context. We will find that as we draw nearer to Jesus and are able to minister to others more effectively, our relationships change quite significantly.      In ministry, people will walk in and out of your life as they themselves battle sin and darkness. When they are ready for some light, they will come to you, but as soon as they are tempted by sin they are no where to be found. Such is human nature and very common when one starts off a relationship with Jesus. If you are in the ministry position you have to learn to be okay with that. You also have to l

    In America we seem to have the mentality that if we work hard now, we can be more fulfilled later in life. Many of us dream of the day when we can stop working and live a cushy life off of our retirement fund. I think we tend to carry that mindset over when it comes to our faith. We think that if we just get so-and-so born again, we can just relax and enjoy Jesus together. Or once I'm through with this trial, I won't have to rely on God so much. Well, these things simply aren't true.     I hate to break it to you but our time on earth isn't to just sit around and enjoy our personal relationship with Jesus and do nothing aside from that. That time is reserved for Heaven. Yes, we get a taste of that while here on earth and we should always be growing our relationship with Jesus. However, right now we are to be doing work for the Kingdom of God to get as many people as possible to spend eternity with us! That job will never end until our last day on earth.     Jesu

    When we are born again we are seen through the eyes of God's beloved son Jesus. That means that we have access to all the gifts and privileges that Jesus has earned through His perfection. One thing in particular is the right to pray to God and lay our troubles at His feet. We are supposed to have the kind of intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father that we can ask for what we need. We can go to Him like we would a trusted confidant, and invite Him into the situation to help us.      We should never be intimidated or shy about asking Him for anything. Even though He knows and sees what's happening in our lives, we need to have the same relationship with Him that we would with a loving Father. In the end, He is the only one who can change our circumstance and make a difference. Always come before the Lord confidently with your requests and trust that He will be faithful in answering them if you with a pure heart. Remember your right as a son or daughter of your Heave

    There are always times in our walk when we believe and we are not worthy of anything God could give us or even to be used by Him. When we mess up and choose the world over Jesus we wonder how He could ever take us back. How could He even love us when we've messed everything up? Remember that no one is worthy of the grace of God and Jesus uses us regardless of our mistakes. The Bible is full of screw-ups to prove it!     My favorite "screw-up" in the Bible has to be Saul, who later became the Apostle Paul. How can you mess up worse than vocally denying Jesus and killing everyone who worships Him? Paul was even referred to as Saul the Persecutor. He killed God's people until Jesus literally blinded him while he was on his way to Damascus... to kill even more Christians! After that day, Jesus radically changed Saul's life. He got a new name and a new identity through the grace of God. However, when Jesus asked his disciple Ananias to go pray for Saul's res

    There are many verses that speak of the Lord's great patience with us and our double-minded nature. He let's us run away and come back just like the prodigal son. We make our mistakes only to realize how dumb they were and repentantly come back to our Lord again. That is just a part of our human nature. But how are we responding to others who are doing the same in our community?     It is so easy to see when we are outside a situation. That's why when others are going the wrong direction, the solution seems obvious to us! Unfortunately, the majority of the time people don't want your help to see the way out.  I urge you, brothers and sisters, when someone is running from the Lord-- let them . Just like the Father in the Parable of the Lost Son, Jesus doesn't run after us. Nor should we run after anyone else. It is so very tempting when we think we see the answers to their problems, but in the end it does no good.      Do not sacrifice your own faith and p

    The human condition is such that we want what isn't good for us. Our flesh craves what is detrimental to us. Even though we know what is right because of God's loving instruction, we continue to make the same mistakes. We run around in circles and never get anywhere! Paul had the same problem. He explains in Romans 7 how his flesh craved evil and he could not stop himself from doing it. But there is hope for us all through Jesus Christ. We can do nothing apart from Him. There isn't enough willpower in the world to stop us from sinning-- it has to be a change in heart. That is why we are given the Spirit to guide us through those times. He lives in us and changes our desires completely so that we now desire what is good for us and can live a fulfilling life. Recognize that you cannot change without Him. Rely on His Spirit to help you move forward to a healthy lifestyle. Romans 7:14-25    So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is w

    I love this passage of scripture because it makes perfectly clear what the Christian experience is about. I daresay the majority of the population believes that Christianity is about a series of rules. That's why it can seem so unappealing! It doesn't help when you have "Christians" who believe the same going around and telling others they are wrong. This passage reminds us that it isn't about rules and regulations, but a genuine, life-giving relationship with Christ. If you have been judged and condemned by the world for your actions, you are not interacting with anyone a legitimate faith in Jesus. Do not let yourself be discouraged by those who judge you because the old you has died with Christ and you are no longer defined by your actions. Live freely and let Jesus Christ define your life and change you from the inside out. Colossians 2:16-23   So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon

    The Bible tells us that when people take from us, we are supposed to let them do it. When they slap one cheek, we are to offer them the other, etc. But what about the other side of that equation? What if we are the ones who are taking? There is certainly a taker mentality that plagues the world and affects the majority of people. It stems from the selfishness of the flesh. Without Jesus, we are living to serve ourselves and gratify the desires of our flesh.     When we commit to the Christian lifestyle, we make the decision to live according to the Spirit and not the flesh. We make the big switch from selfishness from selflessness. Something that seems to be hard to grasp for new Christians is the thought of being a giver rather than a taker. Our flesh wants to take everything it can from those around us, but Jesus asks us to be the giver. Don't be the person who constantly has their hand out for more and don't take advantage of the givers Jesus has already established. I

    The Lord is always seeking to grow us in our faith. That sounds wonderful in theory, except when you realize that we are most grown in difficult times where we are forced to rely heavily on Jesus. None of us really wants that, but it is by flexing those spiritual muscles that we are made stronger. In those times, I know it feels impossible. I often have cried out to Jesus telling Him I cannot bear it any longer! Yet it is in those moments where I am grown most. I make the decision to move forward trusting Jesus and I am rewarded with peace and renewed strength. If you are in a place today where you feel like you cannot continue, remember what scripture tells us. We will never be tempted beyond what we can bear and He will always provide a way for us to endure it. Instead of caving under the pressure, ask God to show you how to endure. He is faithful and will always answer that prayer. Don't give up because He is only making you stronger! Isaiah 40:28-31 Do you not know? Have

    In the body of Christ we are all blessed with different sets of gifts from our Heavenly Father. These gifts fit together with each other and work together to reflect Jesus accomplish God's will on earth. We can talk all day about the different gifts we have and how wonderful they are, but are you doing your part when it comes to those gifts?     Your gifts were never meant to bring glory to yourself, but rather to glorify your Father who is in Heaven. They are the deposits He has given you to do the work He has set before you. They are your tools, so to speak. The most important thing to do with your gifts is to use them! Do not let those them sit dormant inside you. Use them within the context of the body of Christ to bring others into the knowledge of Jesus. Do your part by fanning into flame your gifts so that they may be useful! God gives us the little spark we need, but it is our job to act on it. It is the church's duty to start a wildfire in this world for Jesus Ch

    Since my post from yesterday, I still have leadership on my mind. I went over how we relate to other leaders, but what about if we ourselves feel called into a life of leadership? How do we begin the process of fulfilling that calling on our lives?      The most important thing for a leader to do is to follow. I strongly believe that all of us should be submissive and respectful of leadership that is already in place, regardless of whether we agree with them or not. Like I mentioned in my last post, we should honor those in leadership because they have been allowed in that position by God. When we encounter leaders we do not agree with it is so tempting to assert our own dominance and usurp their positions one way or another. That is never the right answer!     Jesus calls us into a life of humility and submission. You should never assert yourself or promote yourself, but rather wait until He raises you up to where He wants you. You need to be okay with following even if He ne

    When you are in a position of leadership your entire life becomes public. You have people looking up to you and down on you simultaneously. Your life is judged more harshly not only by those who you are leading, but by God. It's not something one should ask God for flippantly. That in mind, how do you view your own leaders? I would bet that the majority of us have complaints about them. So how do we deal with that Biblically?     First, we need to recognize that leadership in a church is God-appointed. God chooses who will lead the church for a specified season. Do you not think that He could take anyone out of a leadership position at any time if He so chose? The point is, we need to recognize Jesus' anointing and honor our leaders. We also need to judge less harshly those who are in those positions. What would the church see if your life was under the microscope? Have grace and compassion for those whose lives are constantly on display. One of the most important things

    Why do we hold ourselves to the measuring stick of the world when we were never meant to be like the world? We get turned off by churches that seem to be doing things too "supernaturally" or different because it's not what we are used to-- it's not like the world . Can't we just look like the world, but still go to Heaven? Friends, that is not the lifestyle we were called into.     We cannot continue to live like the world when we have Jesus. His Kingdom is far greater than the one you were living in before. This world belongs to Satan and if you haven't accepted Christ then you are living under his control. Jesus gives us citizenship to Heaven and we live in that reality even while we are here on earth. With Heaven comes love, healing, restoration, peace, joy, and self-control among many other beautiful things.     However, we cannot continue on as the world would and still reap all the benefits of Jesus' Kingdom. That is what Albert Einstein defi

    From the beginning, before Jesus was ever on earth, his death and resurrection were prophesied over and over through the years. So of course, Jesus knew about it when it came time for Him to be given over and killed. Jesus talked to His Father and He knew the prophesies well. He knew His "fate" good and well, but He still had to choose it. We may forget, but Jesus had the same free will our Heavenly Father gave us! Jesus chose to die for us. He could have been taken safely into Heaven at any moment!     So what if He had chosen differently? We would still be under the enslavement of the law, struggling in our sin and never having a changed heart that only comes from knowing Jesus. Jesus loved His Father so much (and us so much) that He put His will above His own. He did what He knew was right even though He didn't want to go through with it. And where would you be if He hadn't?     My question to you is this: Are you putting the Father's will above your ow

    In our society, words like "pure" and "innocent" have become synonymous with "naive." Why is this also the case in Christianity?  We talk about how wise one is when they have suffered great mistakes and tragedies in their lifetime, but what about the ones who haven't? What about those who have had little mistakes. Are they any less wise?     It is a myth that wisdom comes only from experience. Yes, we do learn lessons when we mess up, but God doesn't want us to mess up! He wants us to have the wisdom to avoid making those painful mistakes in the first place. Why would He even give us the Bible if He intended for us to make mistakes and learn all on our own? He doesn't want it to come to that! He even tells us specifically that if we ask for wisdom, we will receive it-- He doesn't say we have to have experience anything in particular to get it, simply that we should ask and believe.     The whole goal of Christianity is to become mor

    When we are born again we become a new creation. The Bible tells us that our flesh is crucified just as Jesus was. That is a complete change! Our entire lifestyle should change when we meet Jesus because we are no longer living in our flesh, but by our Spirits. Why then, do we continue to look at the world purely through the eyes of our flesh?      When you get your Spirit born inside of you, the way you see everything should change. No longer do you see only what's in front of you, but you begin to see through the eyes of Jesus. You see what is under the surface. Your Spirit is keenly aware of what is going on around you. Whether its avoiding a dangerous situation, having compassion for a stranger, or even just seeing what Jesus sees in others.     Once you have been born again, you have are to keep in step with His Spirit. That means staying in tune with Jesus. Talk to Him and ask Him for His divine insight. Seek out the gifts He has already promised you by His word. Fix

    Many people believe that their problems have a location. Therefore, they believe that if they leave said location they will not have to face their problems. You will see people who change their settings again and again only to find that the same issues arise in every place. Running from your problems doesn't work because they will never stop chasing you down.     The good news is that when we have Jesus, we no longer have to run away. When we have Him all we have to do is race into His arms and let Him carry the weight we are facing. He is the only solution to our issues and until we get Him, we will continue to be chased. He takes us by the hand and leads us down the path of righteousness while doing all the work to restore our lives along the way.     So don't run away from your problems as if they have a location. They will always follow you wherever you go, until you have Jesus there to fight your battles for you. Run towards Heaven with your eyes locked on Him. H

    I talk a lot about the importance of staying connected in Jesus community/church because it is the only way we grow into the maturity of Christ. Without being involved with others in His community, we are unable to gain more perspective of Christ than what we can see with our own eyes. He has placed a different perspective and piece of Himself into all of us who know Him, so that when we come together we can reflect the full image of Jesus.     None of us can do it on our own. We were never meant to walk out our walk of faith with no support. Instead, we help each other to grow into His image. One of the ways we do this is by speaking truth into each other's lives. When we do so, we can correct, encourage, and aid our brothers and sisters into being more in His likeness. We can only achieve that when we speak the truth in love. We are designed to live a lifestyle of love for our family in Christ and only when that is fulfilled can we speak into other's lives.     I enco

    When we do something we feel is wonderful, the world tells us that we deserve to be acknowledged. We ought to be celebrated and awarded for doing the right thing. Sorry to burst your bubble, but that's not how he Kingdom of Heaven operates. Jesus says that we should be doing the right thing because it's the right thing and that's what He asks of us. We show our love and respect for Him by obeying His commands.     When we think like the world, we begin to believe that we ourselves are worthy of worship, just as Lucifer did before the fall. We do good so that others will notice and recognize us and hold us in high esteem, but Jesus values humility above all else. He wants us to recognize our need for Him and to know that the only good in us comes from His work through us. Be careful not to live a life of seeking approval from men. There is no life and no reward from that lifestyle. Always hold Jesus in highest esteem and do good because of your love for Him. Matthew

    "Grace" is a word we toss around a lot in Christian circles, but maybe don't stop to think about much. But where would we be without the grace of God? It is one of the most amazing gifts Jesus has given us. We can mess up to the point of complete failure in the world's eyes, but grace gives us another chance. It is God's divine favor on our lives regardless of our imperfect actions. We are flawed in our flesh and cannot keep the law perfectly. That's why we ever needed Jesus to begin with and that is why grace is so important.     Just because grace allows us to continue with God's plan even when we mess up, does not give us the liberty to abuse that gift. There are many grace-abusers in the church world. These people claim to be Christians, but instead of living their life focused on Jesus, they live their life focused on sin. They never try to walk by the Spirit, but continually indulge in sinful habits of the flesh, claiming that it is covered und