Ready... Set... CHANGE!!!

Tuesday, June 12th> Romans chapter 12 In what way does the habit of not allowing the Holy Spirit to renew our hearing prevent us from forming vital relationships within the body?  All believers have some sort of hurtful past that God used to draw us to Him.  Whether it was a broken marriage, death of a cherished loved one, or abuse in one form or another, we all have what you might call a "rap sheet" of pain.  So when we move into our new life, it's a necessity that we allow the Holy Spirit to strip away the old way of hearing what people say to us. The enemy has a very effective strategy for creating strife between believers that MUST be exposed.  As our pastors have already ministered, we had "feelers" to detect any wrong intentions towards us as a defense mechanism.  But now that we are part of the Body of Christ, that old system only causes confusion and stagnation in the kingdom.  News flash, people of God: PUT DOWN YOUR DEFENSES!  GET RID OF YOUR WEAPONS!  We are all now on the SAME SIDE!  Our weapons of war are NOT carnal, and if used, they only work to STRENGTHEN the enemy.  Our fight is NOT against one another. Only when we get this revelation and allow the Holy Spirit to change the way we hear will we truly be able to become THE BODY.  Brain cells will align to function correctly; the circulatory system will do its part.  The immune system will defend from OUTSIDE forces rather than against itself.  And God's kingdom will truly advance in these last days.  Aren't you READY to move forward?  Then let's go!!!

Let's GROW!!!

Saturday, June 9th> Ephesians 5: 1-10 In what ways do we experience milestones in our walk as we allow ourselves to discover God's will for our lives? Just as with natural development, a child of God is BOUND to grow if he or she follows the guidelines that guarantee growth. The more we commit ourselves to consuming the proper nourishment (the Word) and our supplements and vitamins (God's Presence and companionship), the more we will see milestones in our faith. We must keep our eyes on no-one else but Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. We cannot afford to let anyone else be our Role Model, for no-one else became human and succeeded in living on this earth without sinning. We will gradually leave behind the childish games of living for self, gratifying only the flesh. As we focus only on pleasing our Father, the things of this world will begin to lose their grip on our hearts. And most of all, as we receive the reward of gaining even more closeness with the One with Whom we will spend eternity, we will begin to set spiritual goals rather than physical ones, and not allow the enemy of our souls to deter us. We CANNOT fail, because -- last time I checked-- the victory's already been won. Let's GROW!!!

LIFE-- OR DEATH?

Wednesday, May 30th> Philippians 3: 12-16 What should we do to create an environment for the incorruptible seed to grow? This is literally a LIFE or DEATH situation. If we want our earthly vessels to house, foster and grow such an amazing gift of new life, we must FIRST recognize the threat of evil around us with only ONE goal: to cause us to abort the seed, or at the very least stop it from growing. With that being said, we must be sober and mindful of what we let in, who we allow to influence us, and what we choose to dwell on from one day to the next. No-one-- absolutely no-one-- can be ruled out as a SOURCE of death for our seed. This simply means we must not be so wrapped up in the outward appearance of those we surround ourselves with that we ignore the warning signs when our faith is slowly but surely being replaced with doubt, our joy with sadness or depression, or our on-fire walk with a lukewarm substitute. We must NEVER take our eyes off the prize-- to get to the NEXT milestone in order to position ourselves on e step closer to our purpose and destiny. Nothing else must become more important than this goal-- no person, no place, and certainly no part of our past is worth holding on to. As long as we have this mindset, we will begin to set up the right environment for the incorruptible seed. All that's left to be said is will you choose LIFE, or DEATH?

What Do You Think?

Monday, May 28th> Philippians 4: 8-9 What is it about the way we think that makes it so difficult to believe what God's Word says about who we really are? We have this double problem. On one hand, we were created in the image of God. That means we have His creative ability. Unfortunately, this ability is housed in the earthen vessel of our flesh. Pastors Chad and Nette call this our "fallen state". So, while we have been given the tremendous gift of seeing what we believe come to pass, this will not happen unless we change the way we think. God's format is quite simple: think on THESE things: praiseworthy, pure, good, TRUE, and of good report. If we follow this format, we WILL walk in and accomplish God's will. The question that remains is: do we THINK it is possible?

What's the Purpose?

Tuesday, May 22nd> Ephesians 4: 11- 16 What is the ultimate purpose of our development? Why would God go through all this trouble to get us new DNA, then position His Holy Spirit inside of us? The ultimate purpose is for us to become MATURE and WHOLE,  lacking nothing in order to FIT our part inside the body of Christ.  God's desire is for us to GROW at the expected spiritual rate so that there is no void in the body when it's each Believer's turn to PRODUCE what every joint supplies.  Our prayer is simply-- Father, You expect me to grow.  May I walk worthy of what You've put on the inside of me so that I might bring Your WILL to pass on this earth.

The Fivefold Ministry

Monday, May 21st> Ephesians 4: 1-11 Do you think the fivefold ministry guarantees a place for the ENTIRE body of believers, or are there only certain people who are called to fulfill those roles?  More specifically, what role do YOU play in the body?  Without a doubt, we must tread carefully with the titles "Apostle" and "Prophet".  The accountability associated with these two is nothing to take lightly.  But did you know that we are ALL called to be evangelists, preachers and teachers?  Did you know that daily we are called to take the gospel of the kingdom -- the "GOOD NEWS" of what He has provided for us -- to others wherever we go?  Just in case you didn't know, your pulpit is whatever platform you establish in your life where God's Name is exalted.  That includes your office desk, the grocery store aisle... And your Facebook page.  It doesn't matter what people call you when you walk into the church.  What matters is the heart you have about giving others what was freely given to you.  And THAT'S what we will all be judged by when we stand before the Father.

Danger... FIRE!

Saturday, May 19th> 2 Corinthians 6: 14-18; 2 Timothy 3: 1-9 In a natural inspection, all furnaces, boiler rooms, and electrical outlets of any kind must be kept free from combustible storage (anything that could catch fire and destroy this investment).  What "combustible storage" exists in the spirit realm that we must stay away from? Hmmm... Let me see...being in covenant with and taking advice from those who don't know Christ. Even those who "claim" to be saved but aren't showing any fruit that He dwells within. If we attach our lives to these things, we're in danger of attracting a fire to our lives that will be hard to put out. If you find it easy to compromise in a certain area when you're around certain people, your wires just might be in "combustible storage". We are called to deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Christ. ANYONE who steers us in the opposite direction is on the list marked "Danger of Fire.". We must be willing to get rid of ANYTHING that will bog us down and blow up what GOD is building. I'd rather please HIM and have humans disappointed in me rather than the other way around. Wouldn't you?