Living in God's Power

How to release God's anointing in your life?  

When things you do happen with ease, it's God's ability coming on you to enable you.  Too many people struggle.  God wants to oil the body.  He wants it to work with ease.  Too much stress and pressure will keep things from being easy.  There are not enough people enjoying their walk.  It's IT IS TIME TO ENJOY YOUR LIFE.  People are miserable because they aren't doing what God called them to do, but what other people ask them to do.

God wants every Christian to get in the place where God wants them and function there and not be MAD about being put there.  God's anointing can be on you, but if you don't get into His timing of it, it will still make you miserable.  You may have gifts but not produce any fruit..and then you wonder why.  When God calls you to do something and it's not breaking forth, it's probably the timing.  The key is to operate in your gifts in HIS timing, not yours.

When God's timing is right, you don't have to labor to use your gifts.   Learn to be sensitive to the anointing.  There may be things you "can" do doesn't mean God's anointing is on you to do it.  You need to learn the difference between ability and anointing.  When God is anointing you to do something, you will be able to do things you couldn't do on your own.

What are we anointed with?  The Holy Spirit.  Christians were given the Holy Spirit by Jesus, this is the anointing that we either claim or don't claim.

If you are a Christian, you don't belong to the world anymore.  You belong to God.  He sets you apart and will use you for a specific purpose and not let you get messed up with things you may want to be involved in.  We have to die to self to get to this place.  Every single one of us has a part and a purpose and a destiny, a gifting and a calling.

Let God bring us to a point to be an empty vessel so he can fill us and use us to His glory.
It would glorify God if we just make ourselves available.  He may not even use us today, but be happy to be empty and ready.  God anoints us for purpose. 

Say:  "I am anointed by God".  Say this several times a day and go out in the world and make a difference.

God, I pray for you to empty me of myself and let me see clearly what you have anointed me to do.  I only want what you want me to do.  Help me to understand what it means to be anointed by God with his Holy Spirit.  Help me to learn when it's your timing and when it's not.  I surrender to you today. Amen.

Word Made Flesh Devotion

 Word Made Flesh

John 1:1-18                                                                                                                            

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome^[a] it. ⁶ There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. ⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. ¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) ¹⁶ Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and  is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

Thoughts:

The Word is the creative power of God which encompasses the wisdom of God. He who is all became a human being and dwelt among us.  God with us, Emmanuel.

Martin Luther said: "If you truly believe that the Word became flesh, that the logic of the universe became a human being that belief is powerful enough to drive demons and devils away from you.”  Luther goes on to say that when God took the flesh of a human being, that proves that God is well disposed to us, that God has favor towards us. I like the way Martin Luther thinks.  If the Word became flesh then God connects with us at our deepest levels He didn’t choose to stay in the heavens and be separate but to dwell among us.

I believe John is saying before something was created, there was a plan.  I believe before the world began, Christ was the logic of God, the mind of God, the brilliance of God. Did He exist before measured time began? Who is this word of God for whom all things are made? Who is this light that shines in the darkness? Why would God wish to become a human being?  Before there was matter, before there was light and life, there had to be some logic to it.  There was a master plan.  For those who believe, the Holy Spirit/God/Jesus indwells in us, in the flesh. 

God loves us that much, to come and be with us in every part of our life if we allow Him to.  Words cannot express how exciting that is, that the God of all creation loved me enough to come in the flesh and die in the flesh so that we could be joined together in unity!

Questions:

·         Do you believe that the Word is powerful enough to drive demons and evils away from you?  Have you ever had to use the Word to defend yourself from an enemy attack?

·         Do you really truly embrace that in Christ, God became man. Lived, died, rose again for our salvation and lives with us through the Holy Spirit. That He was from the beginning and is now and ever shall be. That He loves us eternally?

·         Do you believe Jesus was a part of the plan from the beginning?  Why?

Prayer:

God of eternal light, sometimes we become to accustomed to the darkness. But you pierce the darkness with the light of your word. We are grateful that you reveal yourself to us in many ways.
Amen.

Jacob's Dream Devotion

Jacob’s Dream

Genesis 27:1-4,15-23, 28:10-17                                                                                             

Thoughts:
I was born in the summer.  The good news is…it’s always a nice day on my birthday.  The bad news (as a child) is nobody sang “happy birthday” to me during the school year.  So, I took matters in my hands (much like Jacob).  I decided to lie to the teacher about when my birthday was so I could have confirmation and affirmation of my birth from my classmates.  I was willing to risk the consequences of lying just to hear a 60 second song sung to me.  Well that went over like a ton of bricks.  Granted I was only in 2^nd grade, but the nature of man is what it is, prideful and full of selfishness and those traits continue long after 7 years old.  I still struggle with wanting to be somebody I’m not for the sake of acceptance and favor.  If we are honest, we probably all do this on some level.  Even going to Church on Sunday could be for appearances sake and to receive favor and blessing from people (like Pastors) who we feel are important we get acceptance and validation from. Or maybe sometimes you are especially nicer to some than others in order to get something from them you want.

As we read these verses, let’s be careful not to judge Jacob for his deceitfulness.  Andrew Murray states, “It is because of pride that we need to be redeemed.  If we are to grasp how desperately we need Jesus, we must see the terrible power that pride has over us.”  Let’s remember that without the supernatural ability to be humble and show humility we would be deceivers all the time and pride would have the best of us most of the time.

I love how God came to Jacob in a dream and blessed him in spite of his shortcomings and deceitfulness.  The consequences of his sin were limited and didn’t define his future for his whole life.   I find hope in knowing that my consequences can be limited but God’s love and blessings are not.

Let’s pray today that we would be authentic in how we live our lives. Let’s ask God for forgiveness for when we’ve not been open and honest about our own failings and have tried to deceive people around us. And let’s ask God to bless us for who we are as we strive to live lives that honor him.

Questions:

·      1.    Is there a time when you are being a deceiver for the sake of affirmation or blessings?

·       2.   How do you feel about God blessing Jacob even after he deceived his earthly father?

·     3.     What are some things you could do to become more humble and authentic and get away from pride and selfishness?

Prayer:

God of good gifts, Your blessings are abundant. Your promises are true. You provide for our every need, even when we don’t deserve it. We are grateful for your faithfulness to us. Amen.

Healing Devotion

Healing

John 4:46-54

Thoughts
We are so blessed to have a God who is not limited by time or space or by our lack of faith and belief.
We have a God who heals because He loves us, not because we see or don’t see. We handicap
ourselves when we limit God. If our answer is “yes” even before we know what His will is, imagine
the faith we will build as we see and experience the miracle and power of God moving in our lives.
We cannot even for one moment fathom or understand the depth of His abilities. In one breathe He could change things for us versus our lifetime of laboring to change things.

Today, we face a similar but different kind of faith test. Will we believe what Jesus said almost 2,000 years ago as we read his words in the Bible? Or, will we worry, panic and get scared when we have problems that we can’t solve? The nobleman believed Jesus when he spoke the word about his son being healed. As he spoke to his servant, he learned that at the very moment Jesus said his son would be healed…his son was healed. At least the nobleman could see Jesus when he talked with him. We can’t see Jesus with our physical eyes, so in some ways, our test of faith is bigger than the one the nobleman faced. I am reminded of what Jesus says, in John 20:29; “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to
believe.”

The word “believe” implies confidence in something. Do you believe (have confidence) God is hearing your prayers and will answer you? Today, in your quiet time with God, declare to God that you believe 100% that He hears you and He cares about the desires of your heart. The lesson here is to pray with confidence and know while the answer still may be “no” or “not yet”, sometimes (like in the case of the Nobleman) the answer is “YES”!

Questions:
• When you ask God for healing, are there times when you struggle with believing He will
answer your prayer?
• Do you remember the first time you experienced a miracle from God? Did you immediately
know it was an answer to a prayer? Were you skeptical?
• Are you able to share, with confidence, your faith stories? Has someone shared their faith
story with you which has influenced you or caused you to rethink your faith?

Prayer:
God of restoration, You have the power to heal and to renew. Mend all that is broken in us and in our
world, and bring us to wholeness, for the sake of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

It's all about LOVE

What is your number one goal in life?  How would you answer this question?

My number one goal in life is ________________?  

Think it through.  Whatever the answer is will be your DOMINANT life value/principle.

If your dominant life value is to have fun, then this evening if you get a couple invitations for the evening, then you will tend to choose whichever is most FUN.

If your dominant life value is safety, then you will make sure every decision in life based on the safest choice.

If your dominant life value is to be affirmed, then you will choose things in life that will give you the most affirmation.

It's extremely important what is going to be the most important value in your lfie.

In 1 Corinthians 13.  Let LOVE be your greatest aim.  God says your #1 life value should be LOVE - your highest life value.  The bible said God created everything in the universe for love.  He created us as the object of His love.  He created us to learn how to love.  

Jesus said the most important thing is the "great commandment".  Mark 12:28 

Life is all about learning to love.  Everything else is EXCESS.  One day you will stand before God and answer to how well you loved yourself, God and other people.

Life is all about love.  Love God with all your heart, love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Everything you do must be done with love.  What does that include?  EVERYTHING

Does this mean when you deal with people who attack you because of your faith? YES

Does this mean when you deal with the person at the fast food drive thru that you can't understand?  YES

Does this mean when you deal with people who have different political opinion? YES

Does this mean when someone disagrees with your opinion? YES

1 Corinthians 16:14 - MEMORIZE it - "Let all that you do be done in love."

The day you understand how completely and unconditionally God loves you, you will automatically be more loving, merciful and graceful.  

People who don't feel good about themselves are people are the ones who give no grace, mercy or love to others.  

You cannot give to others what you do not have yourself.  

Next we talk about five things the bible says about love.

1.  We love because God loves us.  All love comes from God.  1 John 4:7-8.  God is love.  The reason why God wants you to love, is because he IS love and he wants us to be like him. If He wasn't loving there would be no love in the universe.  We have the ability to love because we were made in the image of God.  Animals cannot love, rocks cannot love.  Animals have instincts but they do not love the way human beings have the ability to love.  Our two missions while on earth:  Learn to love God and learn to love other people.  God takes the initiative.  When he sent Jesus to earth to die for us, He shows us his love.  

When believers don't believe they are not measuring up to God and feel they don't love God enough, the real problem is they don't realize how much God loves them.  If they realized how much God loved them so extravagantly and unconditionally, they would be automatically attracted to God.  If they understand or felt how much He loved them, they would not be carrying around guilt and condemnation. 

You can't make God stop loving you.  Once you feel the unconditional love, you cut people more slack and give more mercy.  People who hurt others don't feel good about themselves, so they pass it along to others.


Unlovely people are unLOVED people.  If you are feeled with anger and impatience?  You won't be able to love anyone else.  Let God's love heal your heart and let it flow through.

2.  Love is a CHOICE.  Love is a commitment.  You choose to love or to not love.  We do have control over our love.  Attraction is uncontrollable.  Arousal is uncontrollable.  Attraction and Arousal is not love.  They can lead to love, but they aren't love.  Love cannot be forced.  You can't make someone love you or stay in love with you.  You can choose to love God or not love Him.  When a person says, "I just don't love her anymore".  This is a choice.  Don't blame it on circumstances.  You are choosing not to love.  

3.  Love is an ACTION not just a emotion.  Love can cause emotion.  It can create emotion.  Love is not an emotion, though.  Why?  We are commanded by God to love each other.  You can not command an emotion.  You can't command an emotion and have it be authentic, it can be acted.  Love is something you DO and it is an ACTION.  1 John 3:18.  "Let us not love with tongue, but with action."  Acting in love when you don't feel it is a more MATURE love.  It's easy to love someone who loves you, it takes nothing at all.  Real love is when you do the right thing when they don't deserve it, you don't feel it or when they don't respond.  Look at how we sacrificially love our children and take care of them.  Anytime you have held a sick hand for

4.  Love is a skill.  It's something you can get good at.  




to be continued....
notes from Rick Warren's "40 Days of Love, It's all About Love, Part 1".

Change - what does it take?

Change - what does it take?

Romans 12

6 principles for lasting change.

1.  The Principle of dedication.  The first thing you do is commit your body to God.  Your body affects your behavior.  Your muscles your motivation and moods. Romans 12.

1st Law of Change
Nobody can force you to change or make you offer your body.

Change is my choice.  It is always my choice.  Nobody can force me to change, nobody can talk me into it.  You will not change until you decide to change.

3 things you can do with your body that are acts of worship:  

1.  Cleanse it.  Don't put poison into your body.  Stop putting bad things in your body. 2 Corinthians 7:1
You contaminate your spirit by what you watch and what you listen to.  You contaminate your body by what you put in your mouth.  Caring for your body is a ACT OF WORSHIP. Act of stewardship.  We don't own our body, we are lent our body.

2.  Caring for my body is an act of worship.  

3.  Controlling my body.

If pride is your motivator - it's not an act of worship.

2.  Principle of concentration - I must REFOCUS my mind.  Romans 12:2
Focus on what's good for you not what's bad for you.  Focus on what God wants you to do not what others want.  Focus on the positive not the negative.  Transform by the RENEWING of your mind.

Habits are things when you do things for a long time.  When you've done it for a long time, it becomes a habit, your hurt - your hangup.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world.  Everything you learn in life you learn from a pattern.  You learn from a model.  The problem is there is no perfect models in the world.  So, you have learned some models that weren't very good.  They were defective.  We are going to have to learn some new patterns, change the way we think and learn some new models and some new patterns.

2nd Law of Change
To Change my life, I must change my model.

The bible says you need a model, mentor, partner and friends.  Bad company will corrupt good character.  Jesus is a the right model.

Only God can take a Caterpillar into a butterfly - radical change.  Positive thinking won't give you that kind of radical thinking.  You allow yourself to be transformed by (totally new life) by the renewing of your mind.  Before you can renew your mind...you have to PUT OFF before you can PUT ON.\


3. Principle of Evaluation - Humbly assess your current state.
Romans 12
Pride is the #1 stumbling block to radical change.  Admit you need change.    You don't know where to go until at first you know where you are.  Admit you don't have it all together in order to get it all together is better than pretending you have it all together.  Do not think of yourself more highly than you are but evaluate with yourself with sober judgement in accordance with a measure of faith God has given you (verse 3).

What are you pretending isn't a problem in your life.  What are you pretending isn't a problem in your marriage, health and finances.  Do you have enough courage to confront yourself?  Do you have the courage to ask those closest to you- where do I need to change?

There is nothing perfect on earth besides God's earth.  Everything is broken on earth because of sin.  We live on a broken planet.  We pretend though that we do.

Do you have courage to confront yourself?

Ask yourself, "What is the measure of faith I have and what do I NEED to change?  How much faith am I gonna need to change, do I really believe I can change,

do I really believe I can be different?"

The measure of your faith will have to increase in order to change.  The more you hear the word of God, the more you have faith.  Limited faith, limited future.  Unlimited faith - Unlimited future.  You need to know where you are right now.  Why is measurement so important.

3rd Law of Change
I can only manage what I can measure.  If I don't know where I am - I can't set goals.  I have to evaluate humbly my current state.

Two practical applications
1.  Record your progress in any goal through the year so you can measure your growth and progress.
2.  Know your starting numbers.
3.  You must get group support.  You will not make all these changes by yourself.  If you could, you would, but you can't so you won't.  God wired the universe in such a way that he wired the community that we need each other. You need a spiritual family. Romans 12:4 - We belong to each other - We need each other.

The greatest barrier to change is PRIDE.  You will have to admit it when you don't have it all together.  Be realistic with yourself.

4th Law of Change
Change requires community

Principle of Affirmation
If you want lasting change, you must fill your life with love.  Love revitalizes, love renews, love refreshes and is the most powerful force in the universe.  Love heals what cannot be healed otherwise, love strengthens, love energizes, love empowers when you don't have the power.  Love is stronger than death.

Don't pretend you love others.  REALLY love them.  Hate what is evil.  Stand on the side of good.  Love enough to confront.  Love each other with genuine affection and take delight into honoring each other.  When your friends have a small win - you need to celebrate with them!  Affirm them!

You want help with your goals?  Help others with their goals!  There is HEALING in giving back.  You know you are healed when you start helping others.

Nothing great is ever accomplished without passion and enthusiasm.  

How do you maintain enthusiasm for the REST OF YOUR LIFE??  Lifetime goals and reach them.  

Positive thinking won't get you through tough times - GOD WILL.  The way you stay enthusiastic is your lifetime is to study God's word.  The kind of enthusiasm that it doesn't matter if the economy is tanking or soaring, or whether it's raining or shining, or things are going good or bad or whether you feel healthy or sick.  Your enthusiasm is not dependent on your circumstances because you are tied to the eternal God and you are tied to the rock of eternal ages.

Paul tells us how to do this in the last verses Romans 12: 11- 12. "Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.[a] 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer."

Your going to set some goals this next year and your going to mess up because you are human, but with God's GPS you will make a uturn and get back right on track.  You will have God's hope with all this.  

What does it mean to be zealous? 

 Being full of zeal means that we have a burning desire to please God and to do His will. God puts this desire in our hearts when we are saved. A zealous Christian is ready to make any sacrifice, to go through any trouble, to suffer, to work, to do anything in order to please God and honor Him.   A zealous Christian is a person who concerned about one thing, who lives for one thing—and that one thing is to please God. He doesn’t care what others think. Nothing else is important except pleasing God. 

The apostles served the Lord with zeal (Acts 20:24; Philippians 3:13-14). Paul faced persecution and opposition and prison. But he endured everything in order to tell others the Good News about Jesus. The early church was full of zeal. Some lost everything because they followed Christ (Hebrews 10:33-34). They were ridiculed and beaten, but they did not give up their faith. When told to deny his faith, Polycarp (AD 70-160) told the Roman governor, “86 years I have served Christ and He has never denied me. How can I deny my King?” That is a zealous Christian. 

Zeal marked the Lord Jesus. He told His disciples that His food was doing the will of God and 

finishing His work (John 4:34). When Jesus cleared the Temple the disciples remembered the 

prophecy from Psalm 69:9, “Zeal for God’s house burns within me.” (John 2:17) When we read 

the Gospels, we see that Jesus was full of zeal. He is our great example.

notes from Pastor Rick Warren's "What it takes to really change" series.

Awesome power of Focus

10 steps of Godly goal setting.

1. Determine your position.  

Figure out where you are right now.  Where am I spiritually right now.  Where am I financially right now.  Where am I health wise right now.


Whatever you are going to do with your life - get on with it.  Every year is a chance for a new start.

2. Define your purpose

What do I want to be, do or have.  Get a target.  Get a clear, concise and compelling target.  Be able to picture it in your mind.  You won't reach a vague goal.  Being specific empowers you for goal setting.  Why do you want that?
a.  What do I want to be?
b.  What do I want to do?
c.  What do I want to have?

Make the decision and then solve the problems.  Fear will set in after you set the goal.

3. Discover a promise

Your fear will vanish if you can find a promise from God's word.  What promise can I claim.  Which of the 7,000 list of promises in the bible, can I claim?  The more you trust God, the more you make God smile.  He is interested in what you are becoming than what you are doing.  He is more interested in your character than your career.

Before you set a goal...ask these 3 questions.

1.  What is the reward?
2.  Why do I want it?
3.  How will I feel when I reach my goal.

4.  Write down why you want it and how you will feel when you have it.

God made us to be creative.  All creativity comes from God.  When you figure out the "why", God will show you how.  It's a principle of life.

When you figure out why you want to save your marriage, God will show you how.  If you want to become a certain person or have a certain career, God will show you how.  He's interested in your motivation and your heart.

You need to know why you are doing what your doing, when things get tough, you will give up.  Make the decision to move forward and God will teach you the how part of things.  This is where the "trust in me" part comes in.

5. Pray about it.

Mark 11.  Jesus says whatever you desire, pray and believe and you will have it.  God does something when we pray about our goals to test our desire.  God's delays tests our desires.  During the test you ask is this a whim or a wish a true desire.  They let you see how much you are really relying on God. It's okay to pray for success for your goals.  If you have a goal that will bring honor to God and will help other people, you better pray about that goal.  Make prayer a continual part of your process.  

6.  Diagnose the problem.

What are the obstacles that you need to overcome to accomplish your goal?  

Ask yourself two questions?

1.  Why don't I have this already?

2.  What are the barriers?  Financial barriers?  Educational barriers, I don't know how to do this?  They may be relational barriers, people don't want you do it.  Or, you have relationships you need to clear up or settle so you can let go of the past and get on with the future.

The biggest barriers you are going to have in your goal setting are emotional barriers.  They are emotional barriers inside of you that keep you from attempting more than you have ever thought of before.  It's hard for God to get you to think bigger than you have ever thought before.  You have to get beyond the emotional barrier.  Fear of failure?  Fear of success?

What's the best way to handle the problems?  Jesus said, in the sermon of the mount, "Don't worry about tomorrow, take life one day at a time".  That's how you handle giant problems.  You are going to face some big mountains you don't even know about right now.  How do you handle it?  One day at a time.

7.  Design a plan

Design a plan to overcome those problems.  

What's you know what the obstacles are, now you design a plan to overcome those problems.  How do I intend to get there?   Ask yourself how long will it take?  Any planning has 3 parts to it.  When you make a plan, for your business, your family it should have these 3 things.  1) steps.  What are the steps to get there 2) deadline 3) schedule - put it in your schedule.  Write it in your calendar.  On this date, I will have done this and on this date I will do this.

The way you spend your time and your money reveal your priorities. 5% write down their goals and they are also the highest wage earners.

8.  Discipline

Ask yourself, "where do I need to grow?"  The best goals are the goals that challenge you to grow.  Why is God so much more interested in your character than your goal?  You are just more important to him.  The growth in your life is much more important.  

9.  Depend on people

Success is never a one man show.  It always involve other people.  He made us to need each other and to be better together.  God wants us to learn and learn how to love.  Learning how to love others is the number one thing we are suppose to learn.  Rockefeller said the #1 skill he'd pay for in employees is the ability to get along with others.  

Ask yourself, who else can I involve?  Do you need someone to hold you accountable?  Ask them for support.  Ask for their input or advice.  God wants you to be involved in the goals of other people.  Most of the time if you have a need in your life, God will answer that need through a person not a miracle.  He wants us to rely on other people and be in fellowship with others.  He wants us to learn from others.  Other people's prayers will be answered through you.  We grow closer that way.  We can be selfish and isolated if we just have God answer our prayers.

10.  Deposit the price

There is always a price tag for reaching every goal.  There may cost time, money, your reputation or letting go of some things you like to do you may have to let it go.  Letting go of some things for the greater good of others is a what God calls you to do sometimes.

notes from Pastor Rick Warren, "The Awesome Power of Focus