"I know where you live!"

That statement is often used as a threat. It doesn't mean much if the person saying it is simply talking a good game and not going to do anything further.
It's a whole different story if someone says that and is completely sold on the idea of acting on that knowledge.

It's a great day when God says, "I know where you live!" to your greatest enemy.
You can rest assured that God never breaths out idle threats...only promises backed with action.

The prophet Isaiah tells a story of this happening in Israel's history.

The powerful king of Assyria named Sennacherib starts running off at the mouth taunting Hezekiah, Israel's King. Hezekiah trains his people not to respond to these threats coming from his messengers. (Isaiah 36:21)

God's response to Sennacherib in Hezekiah and Israel's defense is priceless...and down right scary... "But I know where stay and when you come and go..." (Isaiah 37:28) You've got the love the Bible....God tells this feared and powerful king, back down big boy because I know where you live!

As we look to the Lord He has a habit of fighting our greatest enemies for us. He may wait until it looks like there is no chance for our victory before intervening many times, but rest assured and draw strength from these words...

"Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way;
say to those with fearful hearts,
Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
He will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
He will come to save you." (Isaiah 35:3-4)

courage by memory

There is death by chocolate, death by meeting, paint by number and...courage by memory.

Psalm 78 is a song of remembrance. This psalm lists generational testimonies that God wants to be preserved through the ages. Not just for the sake of remembering the "good old days" but as a source of encouragement for our current battles.

v. 9 Says that "the men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle."
v. 11 gives the reason..."They forgot what he had done, the wonders He had shown them."

When we fail to recall God's faithfulness we end up forfeiting courage that is available to us.
These soldiers were armed, ready for battle, but spiritual amnesia stole their courage.

Remembering what God has done in the past has the ability to fill our hearts with faith for the present. David had to do this when he was preparing to face Goliath. Not only did he remember the Lord delivering the lion and the bear into his hands, he reminded all the doubters around him that were trying to inject him with their anxiety.

Jesus said to His disciples in Mark 8:18 "Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear. And don't you remember?"

When we cannot see what God is up to and can no longer hear, we need to remember what God has done and draw strength and courage from that amazing track record.

When facing lack, remember His last act of provision in your life.
When facing sickness, remember His last touch of healing.
When facing isolation, remember His promise to never leave you.

Meditate on the victories God has already worked for you and you will find yourself more courageous to face your current enemies.

Courage by memory..try it out this week as you face your latest enemy..it's another weapon our loving Dad put in our arsenal.

ending envy.

I was challenged by another pastor recently as he shared on the issue of wanting to live someone else's life.

It is very easy for us to struggle with a comparative and jealous cancer called envy.

Envy is a paralyzing sin. It can silence your gratitude and blind you of the vision God has for your life.

Envy can fill each of us with excuses....excuses that become quick exits off the path God has specifically marked out for us.

The Psalmist Asaph had to face this enemy just like us.

"...my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked."
(Psalm 73:2-3)

The Old Testament refers to envy as coveting.

The good news is that there is a cure for coveting.

The Ten Commandments listed in Exodus 20 begins with "You shall have no other Gods before Me." Jesus defined that in the New Testament as loving the Lord our God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.

The tenth and final commandment is "You shall not covet." The beautiful thing is that as we allow God's love and grace to empower us to walk out the 1st commandment we will automatically have power to walk out all the others.

When you live your life with an increasing revelation of God's love...you will not want to live anyone else's life.

Envy will end. You will not covet another person's wife, donkey (ride), or life!
May the love of God end envy in our lives.

dancing in the wrong end zone.

In 1963, in a game between the Minnesota Vikings and the San Francisco 49ers. Bill Kilmer was the 49er quarterback and he fumbled while being sacked in the backfield.

Jim Marshall, Viking defensive end, picked up the ball and ran about 70 yards the wrong way into his own end zone for a safety against his team.

After Marshall threw the ball towards the stands in elation after 'scoring' the safety, not realizing what he had done, 49er offensive tackle Bruce Bosley ran up to him and patted him on the shoulder as if to say, sarcastically, 'Great play, Jim!'. (ask.com)

None of us ever want to find ourselves dancing in the wrong end zone.

It is so easy to major on the minors...to passionately and fervently climb up a ladder only reach the top and find that it's up against the wrong wall.

The enemy would love for us to give in to distractions...music styles, volume levels, preaching styles, busy schedules, building sizes, carpet colors, the opinions of man over the approval of God, etc.

"Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter." -Tim Kizziar

The Christian life boils down to experiencing God's crazy, radical, life-changing love and giving it away the world around us...one person at a time. That needs to become the filter through which we view our Christianity and Kingdom contribution.

May God give us the grace to major on the majors and minor on the minors.

beyond measure.

It amazing how easy it is to become familiar with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

After walking in relationship with the Lord for several years we can slip into a mindset that we have a pretty good handle on this miraculous Gospel. As a preacher I can be especially susceptible to this trap.

King David, walked intimately with the Lord and was a continual herald of His goodness for years but still made this statement, "My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, thought I know not its measure." (Psalm 71:15)

The Good News of the cross of Jesus Christ, our forgiveness, our healing, our deliverance, our inheritance, our mission, our future residence.....we can sing about it, study it, preach on it, personally experience it, but in the end it is still beyond measure.

What an amazing promise...our revelation of Who God is and the everyday response we walk out to that revelation has the potential to keep growing for all eternity.

Tough to get bored or settle for what is familiar with that kind of potential in a relationship.

God's Dream Team

Team work makes the dream work. It's a pretty simple yet profound thought.

Every time God has ever given a mission to a leader He also prepares and gifts some of the lives of those around him.

God may place the responsibility on the leader but often the capability on the leaders team.

We see this in Exodus 31:1-11. Moses is commissioned to build the tabernacle that God will dwell in among the Israelites. God goes into great details as to how this tabernacle and all of its intricate and artistic surroundings are supposed to be crafted.

Moses must have been thinking to himself, "How in the world am I ever going to get this done???"
Then God fills Moses in on some of his future team members. Team members that God has:

• "chosen"

• "filled with His Spirit"

• "given skills, abilities, and knowledge" in all the areas Moses was needing

"I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you." (v.6)
"They are to make them just as I commanded you." (v.11)

The responsibility will always rest on the leader but most often the capability will come from the people who surround that leader.

Find out what kinds of gifts God has placed in your life-both natural and spiritual.
Begin to serve a God-given mission and dream with those giftings and abilities.
It will be one of the most satisfying things you could ever do with your life.

I am so thankful for the dream team that God has surrounded my staff and I with....because it really is team work makes the dream work.

why pray? pt.5

5- Prayer that is motivated by humility will release fresh grace over our lives.

James 5:6—“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”

I used to think that the number one reason for prayerlessness in my life was busyness. Then the Lord began to show me that it was really pride.

Just by taking the time to pray about things we are struggling with acknowledges to God, “I can’t do this without you, and I don’t even want to try.” Prayer done for the wrong reasons (to impress others with our devotion or spirituality, motivated by religious guilt, etc.) is not very rewarding or pleasing to God. But prayer that is humbly brought before our loving Father will always release fresh grace. And who of us couldn’t use some more grace?

Prayer and the time we are setting aside for it will cost all of us something very valuable, something that we all cherish—our time. I believe the sacrifice is worth it.There is no telling what God will supernaturally release in our midst as we pray.

Even if your schedule doesn’t allow you to come every week, set aside one Saturday a month or as much time as you feel the grace to give. Come join with our leaders as we contend for the increase of God’s Kingdom in our lives and church.

Sat am prayer. 8-9 am. youthroom. hope to see you there!