Can I get a little help?

"If you love me, keep My commandments." - John 14:15

If you love God you should do everything that He calls you to.

It can be hard to do everything that God calls us to do because when it comes to giving God everything it scares us. We are afraid to let go of the past because we are comfortable with how things are now. We try to find common ground, just enough to please God and enough to be satisfied with life at the same time. We know we should be witnessing more to others, spending more time serving, and giving more of our finances away, but we don't because we are afraid...

Afraid to let go..

Afraid to change..

Afraid to live..

But Jesus responds in the next verse "And I will pray to the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever." 

Jesus knew that we couldn't do it on our own. He knew that living a life that was totally different from our norm would be scary. But he gives every believer the Holy Spirit to help us fulfill all the commands of God. Even the ones that we think are impossible. 

We don't have to be afraid.. we have a helper, we have God working in us. 

Armed and dangerous

Think about all the professions you admire. For me I respect jobs that are risky, dangerous, and important to my well being. I look at soldiers, fire fighters, police officers, people like that and am grateful for all they do. I know that I never will have the guts to do anything like that because I'm just too scared to be honest. I don't want to risk my life fighting vicious criminals, or walk through a blazing house, or go overseas and engage in combat against terrorists. No way, I'll leave that to someone else.  So i sit back and appreciate those who do risk their lives everyday and bust their tails so I don't have to. 

Tonight my wife dealt with a girl that has been dealing with spiritual oppression for several years. This stuff has been serious to this young lady not only emotionally but even physical where the walls in her room shake and she wakes up in the middle of the night scared to death. 

Tonight I was reminded that ministers of Jesus have the most dangerous job in the world. We deal with forces that are not of flesh and blood but of spiritual ones. We are at constant battle. There is a war going on between good and evil, light and darkness, God and his angels vs satan and his demons. Every day satan wants to take lives and destroy them. He steals, kills, and destroys...

Through Jesus, we have the power to reclaim the lost and give life to the hopeless. It is through Jesus Christ that all things are passed away and all things become new. It is through him that the lost are found and the dead become alive. 

As ministers of the gospel we are armed and dangerous. 

Armed and dangerous.. this is serious stuff. The battle is intense, the enemy relentless, the pressure is on.. yet we are more than conquers through Christ who gives us strength. Yes I respect those who serve our country but I'm even more thankful for my fellow Christian brothers and sisters that are fighting for souls every day. 

Thanks be to God that life change is possible through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.  

"THINK ORANGE"

I just finished reading a book called "Think Orange" by Reggie Joiner. Joiner explains in order for the church to have maximum impact on children and teenagers we must partner up with the family. Two combined influences make a greater impact than just two influences. But how do we combine the family and the church in a way that is most affective? Let me just give you a brief checklist from the book that you should consider.

1. Synchronize leaders and parents to build an authentic faith in children and teenagers.

2. Refine your message so it clearly communicates God's story of restoration.

3. Help parents be more intentional about nurturing an everyday faith in their kids lives.

4. Give every child and teenager a spiritual coach or leader who can reinforce what a Christian parent would say.

5. Fuel passion in the hearts of this next generation to be a demonstration of God's love to a broken world. 

If you don't have the book, pick it up today!