Archive - November 2007
November 27, 2007
Jonah 2:9
But as for me, I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation and deliverance belong to the Lord!
Keeping a heart full of thanksgiving is critical to living the Christian life. It's easy to stay thankful - it's all about focus. Yes, we face challenges and hardships. Jesus told us we would, "In this world you will have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] - John 16:33
Christ has conquered ALL - for us. We can walk in the victory that He has prepared or we can be distracted and get stuck in a rut. The choice is ours to make. We have to make a statement of faith each morning. Everyday you and I must choose - "as for me" - to push past the distractions and to live our lives for God despite the sacrifice.
Today's prayer: God, I choose to trust You because You are great and have already provided my salvation and complete deliverance from all evil. I bring every sacrifice to You with gratitude. I am laying down my preferences and attitudes - my whole life - to live fully by Your Word. I give thanks through it all and choose to live the life of a believer. Jesus Christ, my Savior, I believe in You!
Happy Thanksgiving
To all our family, friends and fellow believers
~ from Mentors of Ministry
I am truly grateful for the opportunity to serve the Lord and you with "gladness"! This ministry call has been an amazing journey thus far and I'm grateful to God for the chance to reach out and cheer on those who love Him! Keep going - never stop - passionately live for God!
As you take some time to consider how great God is and all you have to be thankful for this year, be sure to express your gratitude to those around, including God. We live in a cynical, selfish world - words of life are precious - speak them freely. Start with gratitude and talk often about the good things in life! As you choose to focus on gratitude this weekend - let it stick and stay in your heart. Live a life of thanksgiving, not just a day. This attitude of gratitude will energize your heart and enable you to fulfill God's plan with power.
November 16, 2007
Matthew 16:23
But Jesus turned away from Peter and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are in My way [an offense and a hindrance and a snare to Me]; for you are minding what partakes not of the nature and quality of God, but of men.
Okay let's be honest, most of us, if not all of us at some point in time have looked at Peter's behavior in Matthew 16, as he argued with Jesus, and thought "How could he do something so foolish?" Yet the same human nature that caused Peter to resist God's plan exists within humanity today.
How many times do we take the principles and commands of God and tailor them to fit our personality or circumstance, as if to create a form of reasonable righteousness. For example, when facing conflict - God says to overcome evil with good; He says to love and be good to those who treat us with distain. Do we obey? Or do we follow human nature as we gossip and complain to others or play the avoidance or silence game as we pout or boil within? And then, do we justify our foolishness with excuses?
Every believer wants to live in the perfect will of God, but any time we oppose God's commands we get in His way, rendering Him unable to work in our lives. The good news is that we can repent right now and begin living God's way today! We can do His will instead of our own and enjoy the salvation of God in everyday life.
God's way works - His nature is within us as we live in Christ. Allow His nature to grow within you. Obey God and you will see the salvation of God transform your life.
November 9, 2007
Hebrews 13:5
Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possession] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, "I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]
Joshua 1:5
No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.
Emanuel - God is with us! It is an amazing, incomprehensible reality that the very presence of God Himself is with us. Who can put that into words? I challenge you today to stop and really think about that reality and then take that truth into every circumstance and relationship in your life. Let it change your worry into confidence; your hunger into fulfillment and your sorrows into joy!
God is with you!
November 8, 2007
2 Cor. 5:20
.... we are ambassadors for Christ,
as though God were pleading through us.
What an exciting time in history; God is doing great things around the world. He has given us salvation through His own Son and then given us the noble task of delivering the Gospel to those across the street and across the globe. This is a great day to be alive.
I want to encourage you today to spend time becoming fully captivated by the incredible love of God. Think about it - really meditate on the greatness of His love. It's His love that drew us to Him and His love in us inspires us to be passionate witnesses.
That love which compelled God to reach out and save us, is still calling out to those who have not heard and received salvation. God is pleading, through us, drawing the lost to Him. We will never find the fullness of our purpose until we become fully engaged in spreading the good news of His love. "We are ambassadors for Christ."
November 2, 2007
I Thes 2:12
...live lives worthy of God, Who calls you into His own kingdom and glorious blessedness.
A passionate life is one that employs the best of us; where the full concentration of our gifts, efforts and compassion are poured out for a worthy purpose. There is no higher purpose than the purpose of God. Therefore, let us live passionate lives, beginning within our own homes and reaching out to the world around us. Let us live to find that place where the needs of the world and the passion in our hearts collide.
