Losing My Life

    When we are going through struggles the enemy often tells us that we are unworthy of God's grace and mercy. Frankly, he's right. None of us deserve it. But that's the whole point of Christianity! We don't get what we deserve because Jesus took it when He died for us on that cross. Once we accept His free gift our sins are forgiven and forgotten. He died so that we could live in freedom and righteousness as we were always intended to.     To do that we need to keep forging ahead with our eyes on Him and stop looking at our mistakes. Too many of us let our unworthiness stop us. We make excuses for ourselves. "When I change this area in my life, then I can commit to Jesus." We have it all backwards! He is the only one who can change us and free us from the sin that so easily ensnares us. We cannot do it without committing to Him. Making those excuses is simply an insult to His gift of the cross. It says that we don't believe that He is enough for us. We...

    Sometimes it feels like everything we know is falling apart. We've been praying and praying and still it seems like things only get worse around us. I encourage you today to keep pressing on in those times. While it may look like you have been abandoned, take heart knowing that it is all for a purpose. When things fall apart, they may actually be falling right into place.     When we do not have Christ in our lives, we go about building our lives with the materials we know and have access to. These materials are from the world. But when we give our lives over to Jesus, He wants to fix those areas. It is His will that our lives be joyful and abundantly blessed. That is why He instructs us how to live in His word. That process takes some reassembling. 1 Corinthians 3:10-11   According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no...

    One of the most valuable characteristics in our walk with Christ is humility. When we have the ability to humble ourselves before Jesus and accept His leading, we go far. But problems arise when we force our own way. Humility is a characteristic that allows us to accept correction and truth and grow stronger because of it. Pride keeps us tied down and unable to grow up in Christ.     We have our brothers and sisters around us to keep pointing us to Jesus. That means helping us through areas not aligned with Him and combating those areas with the truth. But if we get angry and reject those people, we miss out on growing up for sake of being "right" and lose the people Jesus put in our lives for His sake. It doesn't matter if we are right but only that we follow what Jesus calls right and good. He is the one true judge and if we respect His ultimate goodness and authority, we should aim to follow in His ways.     Do not let your pride stunt your spiri...

Matthew 6:25-34 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his k...

    A couple days ago I talked about the importance of being a friend to those around you. Today I want to talk about what it means to be a friend of God. He is always our friend, but what does it take to be His? It is our goal always to draw closer to Him and become more like Him. What a rewarding feeling would it be to make it to Heaven and have Jesus call you His friend? Have trust in God's plans James 2:23 And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. (ESV)     Abraham was called a friend of God because of the amount of trust he had in Him. Abraham was also called the "father of faith." He believed God even to the point of sacrificing His own son. He recognized that God gives and takes away as He pleases. He trusted God so much with His life that He completely submitted himself to His will. Do what He has commanded John 15:12-14   This is my commandm...

    Sometimes I hear people talking about all the things Satan has "created." Today I just wanted to remind you that the only thing Satan has created is a big mess! Since the Lord created the earth there has been nothing new to enter it. We have used all the resources provided to us from the original creation.      That being said, Satan only perverts the things that the Lord intended for good. He misuses them for evil and destruction, as is his nature. Sometimes we consider things like alcohol or sex as completely sinful because of the way they have been perverted. But Jesus' first miracle was making water into wine and He told us to drink wine in remembrance of Him. He only advised us not to be intoxicated. And sex was created as a gift exclusively for married couples to bring them together as "one flesh."  John 8:44   You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and ha...

    As Christians, our goal is to become like Jesus in every aspect of our lives. We are to emulate Jesus in all of our relationships. We want to take His example and become just like it. One area is in friendships. When you think of the traits that Jesus possesses as a friend, what comes to mind?     The characteristics that I think of are things like honesty, openness, dependability, unconditional love, trustworthy, generous, good listener, and no agenda. These are just a few of the traits I think are essential in a Jesus-focused friendship. Jesus is always there when we need Him like a good friend should be. He never lies to us and is all too worthy of our trust. He is generous and considerate with His time and gifts towards us. He listens to us when we need to spill our guts to someone. He comforts us. He has no agenda but to love us unconditionally. That is what I want my friendships to look like.     It is so important to have relationships with o...

    Everybody wants to be loved. We were all created with that innate desire for love. It was designed to stem from our creator. He loves us, we love Him, and that love spills out onto all of His people. Sadly, when we do not understand that process, we search our whole life for love. Our flesh tells us to search for that love in each other and not from our creator. From that place of searching comes distress when we do not receive that love. It is a painful process to be rejected. 1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us. (ESV)     That all being said, we do not always seek the right kind of love from Jesus and His people. We want everyone to like us. However, we are told that when you are a true friend of God you will be rejected by the world. Ouch. Considering that we are surrounded by the world, this truth stings a bit. When we have the desire to be loved mixed with the compassion for sinners we are meant to have, it can prove very difficult to handle re...

    The million dollar question to most Christ followers is, "what is God's will for my life?" When we truly seek to follow Him, we always want to know where He wants us. But discerning His will can be one of the most difficult things for us to know for sure. We will make mistakes, but if we are truly seeking Him, He will always set us on the right path.     To many of us, our reality is mainly defined by what we see around us and not by the unseen. The problem with that is that Jesus works mainly behind the scenes! We only get glimpses of what He is knitting together in our lives and in the lives of those around us. We are easily distracted with what is going on around us. This can cause us to even make an assumption about where Jesus wants us. 2 Corinthians 4:18   So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (NIV)     I believe there are often times where we see wh...

    What is your deepest, darkest secret? For most people something comes to mind. Secrets are something that we get a thrill to hear and fear to share. Secrets can be thrilling, yes, but they are dangerous. Satan doesn't work in the open, but in secret. He thrives in the darkness.     Anything that has a high degree of secrecy can be an area where Satan can gain a foothold. What goes on behind closed doors is not open to the exposure of the light. Jesus works in the light and reveals the truth when things are exposed. The only way to walk according to His word is to expose your life to the light.     Do not give Satan an opportunity to pull you into darkness. It is a spiral that ends in death. Be in community and be open with your friends about what's going on in your life. Your struggles are not something to be ashamed of. If you are really interested in a genuine, sold-out life for Jesus you have to walk in the light and not in secrecy. 2 Corinthia...

    Jesus often gives us a glimpse into our future. Maybe He gives us promises of salvation or reconciliation or an idea of where our calling will take us. Whatever He gives us, it is easy to put our focus on that. I tend to try taking steps to make those things happen or become stir crazy just waiting with those things on my mind.     The point of those glimpses Jesus gives us is to propel us forward. He encourages us that things won't always be the way they are now, that He has a big plan for our life, etc. Whatever it may be, it is to drive us increasingly towards Him. I challenge you to take heart from His encouragement and be focused on what is in front of you today. We tend to believe that it is up to us to put in the work to get to the places we want to be, but in reality Jesus does all of the work behind the scenes to get us where He wants us to be. We should not be wasting time focused on the future, but instead we should enjoy what He has for us now. ...

    What are you afraid of? Fear is something that everyone deals with in their lives. Fear stops us from living in freedom the way we are supposed to in Christ. It can even prevent us from doing the things we are called to do. So why do we give in to fear? Fear is an area that I wrestle with myself. When we know Jesus, we shouldn't have to struggle with fear at all. But there are ways to combat it when we do.           One way is with the promises of scripture. In my early teens I went through a phase where I was deathly afraid of the dark. It was weird it happened that late in life, but my fears were more advanced and vivid. I imagined all sorts of things that could happen when I hit the light switch. The way that I conquered my fear was by reciting God's promises aloud before I went to sleep and faced the darkness. His words hold power and reminding myself of them helped me to trust Him.      The other thing I like to do...

    When we are facing tough circumstances, it is so easy to get distracted from what we know is the truth. We see the difficulties around us and are constantly reminded of them. Sometimes so much so that it becomes our reality. We get discouraged and our faith falters. How do we combat the lies the enemy has planted in our minds through difficult circumstances?     I think my favorite twitter account @HoodJesusYo puts it best, "A lot on yo plate? Don't tell God how big ur storm is.. tell tha storm how big ur God is! When God is for u who can stop u?" Though this phrase is humorously put, it is hard to argue with such truth. Why do we get distracted with circumstance and then complain to God as if He cannot see? We have it quite backwards. We shouldn't be yelling at Jesus to pay attention, but rather combating those storms with the truth He has promised us in His word! We should be changing the reality of our perspective and our words.     The disc...

James 1:19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (NIV)     This is a verse that we should be striving to live by every single day. In my opinion, it is a particularly difficult one to walk out-- but maybe that's just me. Today this verse hit me in a different context than it has before.     As believers, it is always our ultimate purpose to bring others to Jesus. Something I have learned about those who are hurting (AKA those who are needing to encounter Jesus) are that they really desire someone to listen to them. Our flesh is naturally selfish and consequently most people in the world do not stop to think about others. When we can offer someone even an ear to listen to their heart, it means the world to them. If we can just hear someone and actually care about what they are saying, we can make a huge impact on them.     This does not mean, however, that they will ...

    When we decide to follow Jesus, we become citizens of Heaven and not of this earth. Though we live here, we are brought into a Kingdom ruled by Jesus and not by man. We are called to live under the laws of His perfect Kingdom and not by the ways of man. At the same time, however, we are to be in the world amongst those not living by His word. Our duty is to introduce them to our King and be an example of His Kingdom on earth. In other words, we are to be in the world but not of it. What does that look like?  John 17:16 They are not of the world, as I am not of the world. (HCSB)     Are you swayed by the opinions and lawlessness of the world? Do you find yourself justifying sin as the world does, instead of walking in the righteousness we are told about in scripture? It is easy to pick apart the Bible and say that some things are not applicable today. I must remind you that when you said "yes" to Jesus, you signed up to believe in what He says in His w...

    Where are you at today in your spiritual journey with Jesus? Certainly none of us have "arrived" until we are in Heaven. While on earth, we are all constantly in the transformation process into the image of Jesus Christ. That being said, we should always have the mentality of growth and not the mentality of "arriving." 2 Corinthians 3:18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord--who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. (NLT) Philippians 3:20-21   But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.(NIV)      Far too many Christians think they have it all figured out. I dare say those who have that mindset don't actually know Jesus well at all. ...

    In job interviews, interviewers often ask, "what are your strengths?" But today I want to challenge you with, "what are your weaknesses?" Jesus loves using our strengths to bring glory to His name, but He also loves using our weaknesses! Everything we are is useful to bring fame to His name.      Boast in your weaknesses rather than your strengths. It is in the areas and times that we are weak that Jesus' strength is made known. When there is no possible way for us to come through, it shows others it must be Him. It is human nature to want to hide the areas we're naturally weak in and to make our accomplishments seem larger than life. But I think what we really need to be doing is proclaiming our weaknesses and how Jesus is faithful to provide.      Speaking aloud, "I can't do this, but I know Jesus will come through," is valuable on many levels. Firstly, after He has come through it shows everyone who has walked through the process ...

    Life is full of wonderful gifts from God. Our families, jobs, friends, hobbies etc. The Lord loves to bless His children like any good Father would. However, how we treat those gifts shows the condition of our heart. All of the things I named are good, but nothing is good if held in higher importance than Jesus. Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (ESV) James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (NIV)     It is easy to push Jesus aside when something else calls for your time and attention. Even now, I could be studying and skipping this blog entry. We think to ourselves that it would be okay to miss church a couple times or give up some time with the Lord to get other things done. I am not telling you that doing either of those statements is wrong, but I am warning you that it starts small.    I know many...

    The world is filled with disappointments and pain no matter what we do. While we are still on earth, there will be suffering-- the Bible explicitly says this. But for us who believe, we have comfort in those tough times.     Take heart knowing that the Lord is near to the hurting and broken. It doesn't matter if our mistakes caused our own pain or if we suffer undeservingly, His grace covers us and He is with us when we turn to Him. Christ is enough for us to have all we need and more. 2 Corinthians 12:9 But 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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (ESV) Psalm 34:17-20 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but ...

    As I talked about yesterday, our plan rarely aligns with God's plans for our life. He is always surprising us and taking us directions we never imagined were possible. We thank Him for this because it really is an amazing gift. But what is our reaction when things do not go as planned or expected in our life? How do we react when we do not get that promotion at work, relationships we thought would last fall through, weekend plans are cancelled, a traffic jam makes us late, etc. The list goes on and on. Life is full of disappointments, how do you handle them?     It is easy to be upset when things don't go our way. We get angry with Jesus and ask Him why it didn't work out for us. "I prayed for this promotion, Jesus. I worked hard and I deserve it. Why didn't you come through for me?" But did you ever stop to consider that there might be more to the story that we cannot see? What if Jesus needs you in your current position at work to minister to someone?...

    Human nature is selfish. We all want our time, space, comfort, etc. We are always looking for the easiest route for ourselves and disregarding the rest. When others are in the way of what's easiest for us, we often push them to the side to get to whatever we want. How quick are we really in giving up the little things that are precious to us in order to help someone else? Is there room for God's plan in your life, or just your own?      It is easy to get side tracked with our own lives and preferences and forget that anything could be good outside of that. Often times, Jesus puts people on our path that need ministry, that need to meet Jesus. But it never seems to be at a time that is "convenient" with your own plans. The things Jesus has planned for us are beyond our capacity to plan for and they are always good. But you will never reap the benefits of His plan if you are not listening to His leading or willing to follow it.     When Jesus wa...

    Sometimes we see someone and we cannot help but wonder why they do the things they do. We judge them based on their behavior, words, appearance, etc. We've all done it; admit it. But this is not the proper response to others, whether they be unbelievers or Christians.     Let's think about this concept in application to nonbelievers. Our whole duty as a Christ follower is to introduce others to Him. We are meant to disciple the nations. How can we do this when we sit back and judge everyone? We judge by the sinfulness we see and view others as tainted or unworthy of our friendship. We don't dare get our hands dirty with people who do thinkg we disagree with (*gasp*). Today I'd like to remind you of how Jesus regarded those same people. Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations , baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with ...

    How does one really get to know Jesus? We know that being a Christian is not about rules, but rather relationship. Jesus wants a personal relationship with us all. The way we grow that relationship is simple-- we seek Him.      We try to overcomplicate Christianity when it all goes back to one simple thing-- a relationship with Jesus Christ. From there, we are simply transformed through His presence. But we must be seeking Him out. Not half-heartedly, but truly with our whole heart. He wants all of us and we have to want Him back to find Him.      Jesus is a gentleman of gentleman. He will never force Himself on us, but makes Himself easy to find if we just seek Him out. If you are having a hard time developing a relationship with Him ask yourself if you have sincerely been seeking Him. If you do, you will find Him near. Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart...

    Following Jesus is not an easy path. It is a path marked with suffering and endurance. We suffer for Jesus and endure by His Holy Spirit. Although can be a difficult road, the rewards of sticking to it are beyond worth it.      Today I simply want to remind you to keep moving forward. Do not look to the left or the right at the circumstances, simply focus in on Jesus. Oftentimes when we want to give up most is when we are on the edge of the breakthrough we've been waiting for! Keep on going so that you may reap the reward He has set before you. Your breakthrough is coming! James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. (ESV) Galatians 6:9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (ESV) Hebrews 12.1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, le...

    Being a leader is a divine appointment that yields a heavy judgement. Those who are in authority have a higher standard put on them because they are responsible for more people. No matter how a person uses their position, it is by the Lord's wisdom that they are where they are. Now think of those who have a leadership position above you. How do you treat them?     Knowing that leading is more difficult than following and incurs a more weighty judgement from God Himself, how do you regard those in leadership roles? It is easy to pick them apart for their flaws and hate them for their mistakes. Yet this is not what Jesus asks us to do.     We are told that we should be supporting our leadership teams. We know what a burden it is to bear and we strive to lighten their load. We respect them and follow them. Most importantly, we pray for them. Don't you want your leader to go the right direction? Instead of criticizing them about their decisions, try pra...

    Many times we are going through life and we come to a place where we don't know where to turn. We are not sure what the next step is or how to figure it out. This can prove to be a very frustrating time for most of us. So what is the right approach in those times?     The first thing you should be doing is praying. Ask Jesus to show you the next step He has for you. Talk to Him about how you're feeling and then listen for His response. Luke 11:9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (ESV)     When you've asked the Lord, wait on Him for the answer. And when I say wait, it may be a while before you hear from Him. Be patient in this time and trust that He will answer your prayers. Just be alert and stay focused on Him, and you'll discern what He has for you. This is the hardest part of the process, as it is a huge step of faith. Do not worry about how long you may be waiting, ...

    When we are feeling upset or rejected or lonely, it is our natural response to come inside ourselves. We can tend to shut down and isolate in the hard times. However, when we are dealing with that kind of pain it is usually best that we do the opposite.     When we are upset and alone, we tend to get stuck in our thoughts. Our minds circulate over whatever is going on and we cannot easily escape. We can easily have our own little pity party and bring ourselves further into sorrow and loneliness. Satan often uses our thoughts as a trap. He plants thoughts that upset us and lead us into sin and darkness.      We are designed as the body of Christ which means we function as a unit and not on our own. If we are hurting, the whole body hurts. Do you think that the body would not try to ease the pain since all suffer together? We are not to be on our own in the wilderness of the world, especially when we are suffering. 1 Corinthians 12:14 ...

    In the world we come across nonbelievers regularly. What is our duty to them and how are we, as Christians, supposed to interact with them? Where are our boundaries with them? These are things that we have to be aware of considering that we interact with nonbelievers daily.     Our first job as a follower of Christ is to love others. Love those who believe in Jesus or not. Jesus told us that we are to be known for our love for one another. Our love should be so obvious that people recognize us as Christians simply for that feature. And our love should be unconditional. That means looking at those living in the world without judgement. John 13:34-35   A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (ESV)     Through the love we show others, we develop relationships. We are called to b...

    Have you ever found yourself wondering, "If God is so powerful, why doesn't He just make people believe in Him? Why doesn't He show off His might to the world?" It's a good question. So why doesn't God just force us to commit to Him?      We were created with free will and are therefore free to make our own decisions in this life. The Bible tells us that we are the bride of Christ. He is our groom! If we think of free will from this perspective, it is a lot easier to understand. If a husband forces his wife to marry him, follow his commands, and to love him, is it true love? No. If the wife doesn't choose to love her husband and do things for him of her own deciding, it isn't love at all. Jesus is the same way.      He will never force us to do anything. This is true for our entire Christian lives from when we choose to make Jesus our savior, to choosing to follow Him every day after. He wants us to want to choose Him and the good thing...

    To believe God beyond the circumstances surrounding us is to have faith. It is what our entire Christian experience is based upon! Faith is the currency of Heaven. To even enter the Kingdom, we had to have faith that Jesus is who He says He is without seeing any real "proof" beforehand. We can go nowhere in our walk with Jesus without having faith in Him. Today I want to simply encourage you to walk out that faith. Hebrews 11:1   Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (ESV) Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (NIV)     If you want to get to please God, seek Him out and have faith. Faith will bear rewards into your life and you will be able to see God for more of who He is. When we decide to believe Him in what He promises, we learn His character and the vastness of His power...

    Following Christ means that we are a new creation in Him. The slate is washed clean when we are born again, but that is just the starting place! All of us are being changed into His image as we draw nearer to Him. This process is messy and there are casualties along the way. We still slip up and make mistakes on the life-long journey to perfection in Christ, which ends when we reach Heaven's gates. 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation (ESV) 2 Corinthians 3:18  So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord--who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. (NLT)     Even though we all pretty much know that we will mess up, it doesn't make it easy to reconc...