Recipe for ThanksLiving

If you live in the United States, “Happy Thanksgiving!” If not, this teaching will still be helpful.

Like many families, the next few days will be filled with family, friends, food, and thanks.

ThanksLiving is a lifestyle of thankfulness.

Thankfulness isn’t just for Thanksgiving. Thankfulness should be a part of every thriving Christian’s life. But for many of us, we get so caught up in all the details of life and forget to be thankful for all the blessings God has brought into our life.

No matter what situation you’re in, you can find something to be thankful for. We all know it’s true, but it’s easy to rush through the day forgetting to stop and be thankful.

Here is a simple recipe for building a life of ThanksLiving. (more…)

714PRAYER – God Moves in Response to Our Prayer

God moves in response to our prayer. Prayer is at the heartbeat of the Christian life. God invites us to bring our every need to Him in prayer. He invites us into His presence as His children. The very throne room of God is open to us, and we are to come boldly into His presence.

As Christians, we are often reluctant to pray. We consider prayer as a last effort instead of a first response.  Too often we talk about prayer, but don’t spend the time before God in prayer. The book of James puts it this way,

 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. – James 4:2 (NASB)

We do not have because we do not ask. Could it be that God is waiting for us to pray before He moves in power? How many nights have we spent in worry instead of in prayer? How many days have we lived in fear because we haven’t brought our needs and concerns to the Lord? How many times have we spend 2 minutes in prayer and then 2 hours in distress?  (more…)

714PRAYER – Repentance, the Pathway to Awakening

Repentance isn’t usually a positive word. Repentance sounds negative and feels condemning. It brings up images of old street preachers with megaphone crying “Repent; the end is near.” Maybe that’s the reason we hear so little about repentance. When was the last time you hear a sermon on repentance? Repentance doesn’t seem to fit into the current positive Christian message.

However, repentance is an important Biblical word and principle. Repentance always proceeds a new work of God. Before God moves two things must happen; We must ask, we must repent.

Repentance is the pathway to a new work of God in our country, our churches, and our lives.

We need repentance because our sin keeps us from experiencing all God has for us. Here is what the prophet Isaiah said.

Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. – Isaiah 59:1-2

For the Christian, repentance is all about lordship. As a Christian, your sin is forgiven. When Christ died on the cross, all your sins were forgiven when you placed your faith and trust in Christ.

However, sin is a choice to move away from God. It’s choosing our desire over God’s will for us. It is a choice of disobedience. The book of James says it this way.

But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.  – James 1:14-15

For the Christian, sin is always a choice. We choose to follow our own lusts instead of the leading of the Holy Spirit. Repentance is returning to the Lord. Repentance is turning from our sin and once again making Jesus Lord and master of our life.

I’d like to focus on one area where Christians need repentance. It’s a silent sin of the modern Christian. It is destroying families, relationship and lives. A quick look at the statistics and it’s easy to see we need repentance.

As Christians, we have lowered our standards and allowed the culture to influence what comes into our homes and lives. I’m talking about Pornography.

(more…)

When You Walk Through the Waters

God placed a verse on my heart this week, that I have not been able to get off my mind. Although I don’t normally share in this format, I felt I just had to stop and share this teaching with you.

Over the past few days, I have really been reminded of how many people are facing some pretty major challenges. Medical, relational, financial or even vocational problems can come against us like a flood washing away our options, or a raging fire burning through everything we hold dear.

God never promised us a problem-free life. I here teaching sometimes that describes the Christian life like the opening scene of an old Disney film. The sun is shining, the bird are singing and little squirrels bring us the morning paper. Unfortunately, life doesn’t work that way. The sun isn’t shining because dark clouds have gathered. Birds pooped all over our car. Those cute little squirrels eat through the cable and shorted out our Internet connection.

We live in a fallen world and sometimes bad things happen to good people. We get a report from our doctor about a recent test that “concerns” her and she wants to see us. Our car breaks down and there’ no money for repairs. We find an email on our spouse’s phone that reveals a hidden affair, or our company no longer needs our services. (more…)

714PRAYER – The Priority of Prayer

Read through the book of Acts and one theme is repeated again and again. The church prayed, and God moved. From Pentecost to freeing Peter from jail to sending missionaries to spread the Gospel, prayer played a significant role in the life of the early church.

When we pray, we confess our need and dependence on God. When we pray, we step beyond our strength and into God’s abundance. When we pray, the doors of heaven open and God’s power is poured out on us.

God calls us to be a people of prayer. His church is to be a house of prayer. How often is prayer a priority in your church? Let’s make it personal, what is the priority of prayer in your life?

Prayerlessness is the great sin of our day. It’s an indicator of our self-reliance and pride. A prideful person will never be a person of prayer.

(more…)

714PRAYER – Pray for Our Leaders

Today we are praying for our nation’s leaders. Our President, Vice President, and other national leaders have a significant impact on our nation’s culture. They can move a country back toward God, or remove God from the national conversation.

In 1 Timothy Paul encourages us to pray for our leaders.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 (ESV)

We may not always agree with our leaders, but we are commanded to pray for them. As Christians, We may disagree on politics, but we can all agree that our national leaders need our prayer.

Here are five prayer topics we can agree on for our national leaders.

(more…)

714PRAYER – The Next Step in Awakening

As 714PRAYER warriors, we are claiming 2 Chronicles 7:14 for spiritual awakening in our country, our churches, our families and our own lives.
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV)
As the Children of God, we are invited to humble ourselves, seek the face of God and pray. However, there is a next step that separates those who really desire spiritual renewal and those who simply talk about it. God commands us to turn from our wicked ways.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t like the idea of having wicked ways. Sure, I have sins, I’m not perfect, but wicked ways? That sounds so strong, so unchristian. I like to think that I have some weaknesses, some mistakes, sure some sin, but not serious ones, not wicked ways.

(more…)

Five Lies Christians Believe – Part 2

A few years ago, I had a co-worker who was Buddhist. Even though we had radically different religious views we developed a great friendship. One thing my Buddhist friend loved was Scotch. He was well educated on what brands were best, even had a story of how he learned how to drink Scotch.

One day while at dinner I noticed he didn’t order a Scotch. So, I asked him about it. He told me that he had stopped drinking because he was trying to be a good Buddhist. As I have thought about his comment, I have wondered, what is the difference between trying to be a good Buddhist and trying to be a good Christian?

How many Christians are trying to be good Christians?

Trying to be a good Christian is a lie.

If you try to be a good Christian your life will be filled with defeat and disappointment. God never intended you to try to be a good Christian. (more…)

5 Lies Christians Believe – Part 1

Five Lies Christians Believe - Part 1

Have you ever been duped? Ever let a fast-talking salesperson convince you to buy something didn’t need? Worse, you have ever believed something someone told, only to find out later it was a lie? At some point, we’ve all believed a lie. Sometimes we have even defended the lie. (At least until we found out the truth.)

Over the next few weeks, we are going to look at several lies Christians believe. These lies keep us from experiencing all God has for us.

Here’s the problem, when you believe a lie, you become deceived. When you are deceived, you don’t know that you are deceived. If you knew you were deceived, you would do something about it.

Satan is the great deceiver. He is always trying to sell us a lie. He deceived Eve by whispering in her ear that God was holding out on her and if she ate from the tree she would be like God. He is still in the deception business, and so many Christians believe his lies.

This week we look at the first of 5 lies Christians believe. (more…)

We Need a Spiritual Awakening

Watch any newscast for more than 5 minutes, and you realize our country is in deep trouble. Our screens are plastered with news of new scandals, divisions, and violence. Deception and immorality have become the norm instead of the exception. From politics to business and even in the church scandal seems to be the word of the day.

As hard as we may try, it’s obvious we don’t have the answers to the problems our country is facing. New programs, leaders, and ideas always seem to take us down the same road of hopelessness, fear, and anger.

What we need is a fresh work of God in our country, our churches and even in our lives. (more…)