Just for fun, check this out to change up your Christmas music this year!
Do you have firm foundation?
What we build our life on matters. Any builder will tell you the foundation is crucial. If it’s not firm and level the building will not last.
Our foundation is Jesus. He’s rock solid but when we mix other things in with him as our foundation we degrade the quality of our foundation. Making it easier to falter in storms and sink or lean over time.
But if Jesus is our only foundation then we will stand through the storm and time will show just how unchanging He is. His love for us is the same for all eternity and for every moment of every day.
He doesn’t change, our dependence and trust in Him is what changes. When He is not our focus and we allow other things in instead of Him we will falter.
That’s the power of free will that He gave us. We choose just how much or how little of Him that we want in our lives. If we want to stand firm on Him as our foundation then He must be the start, middle and end of our day. Our focus must be on Him and He will guide us through our day.
You may think I don’t have all day to spend in prayer. But that’s the beautiful thing about the Holy Spirit He is with us everywhere, all day, wherever we go. So start your day with a quick devotion, listen to songs, sermons, or podcasts that fix your mind on Him while getting ready for your day. Talk with Jesus as your drive to work or ask your kids what Jesus is teaching them as you take them to school. Rest in God’s presence on your lunch break. When you’re stressed ask God’s advice on how to fix it. Ask Him what to make or pick up for dinner. Ask whoever you live with what God taught them today. Read a Bible story to your kids at night, pray over them and have them pray over you too. Make your life all about Jesus in and through your daily life.
We don’t have to stop life to spend time with Jesus, we just need to include Him in it.
No longer burdened by life
One of the best ever explanations on forgiveness.
Worshiping God with Everything
“The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless.” – Billy Graham
Worship is not limited to a song or a worship service. There are many forms of worship to engage, such as our service to others and our giving, but the list can certainly go on and on. One does not need to wait till 10 AM on Sunday morning to begin the worship experience. It begins before you arrive at church. Worship begins when you start your day simply by acknowledging the Father and His greatness. Worship cannot be measured or boxed in by opinions, styles, or preferences. It is your personal way of telling Jesus with everything within, how amazingly great He is and recognizing the never-end- ing dependency of His glory and His presence.
Have you ever thought how fascinating it is that we’ve never received a bill for air, or for the usage of our brain activities, nor for the use of our limbs. These gifts have all been provided as tools. Tools for what you may ask. For God’s glory. God created you for a purpose. We should feel a sense of urgency to show forth His glory in every area of our life, to worship Him with every tool and resource He gave to us.
If our song will bring God glory then let’s sing our song of worship with everything. If helping those who are in need and desperately desire to feel God’s presence….then let us selflessly worship the Lord in giving of our time. If it is dedicating to Him a special time to lavish Him with our love, then we sit and adore and worship Him for even taking the time for to allow us to dwell in His presence.
My greatest aspiration is that God will see that I have and do worship Him with everything that He has given me, in the good times and bad. That I worship Him when I’ve felt like it and when I didn’t. That I worshiped Him not for all that He could give but simply because of who He is. I want my worship to use every gift and talent and any of the tools He so freely gave with everything for his glory. Jesus is totally worthy of our adoration and our undivided attention. We will never be able to thank God enough for the sacrifice of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection to redeem us from the hand of the enemy.
David is such a great example to every believer of Worshiping God with Everything. He had so much to offer God, including his music, work ethic, and as a skilled warrior. However he started in the fields caring for his father’s sheep, giving his all in all things to give glory to God. With every victory he acknowledged God. One of my favorite passages of scripture is Psalm 150 where David encourages us to employ whatever tool we have to give God glory. Whatever it is… Give it your all!! Worship God with every- thing!! Go ahead, it’s your turn. Think about it today… How can you, with everything, worship God with your life? You have breath… then you have everything you need to give Him glory!!
Guest blog~Written by Lisa Harrell author of TheLisaHarrell.com
Lisa Harrell lights up any room she walks in with her smile and consistent pursuit of joy. Her heart for Jesus is expressed in her words and actions. I am proud to call her a friend and excited for her to share her wisdom and life perspective with you.
You can’t do it on your own
‘We can’t love God’s way without being filled with Him. If we try it on our own, we end up exhausted and burned out. I’ve done it; it doesn’t work. Only when we let His love pour into us and let it spill out from deep within us will His Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’
Except from Reckless Devotion by Heidi Baker
It’s exhausting to try to live the way God calls us to live without him in it, that’s why we all fall short when we try.
Why would we try to do it all on our own when we don’t have to. God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us, give us the words, the actions, the provisions, the energy and the wisdom and his love to do all that he calls us to.
His love is what needs to pour out of us when we talk to people, his love is what they need to see and hear in us. His love is what will change them, because its what changed us.
Graham Cooke
Going Deeper
I’ve listened to this sermon over and over again. Heidi Baker always deepens my perspective of my relationship with God. Enjoy!
Refresh
So many people fear being in the presence of God, some think it’s boring. But being in the presence of God has been the best times of my life. His presence is sweet and peaceful, and joyful and loving all at the same time. His presence is what ever we need at each moment. So why don’t we seek it more?
It’s so easy to be distracted by our responsibilities and obligations in life. We weren’t meant to live these jam packed lives that make us rush from activity to activity. What happened to the simple things in life. How often do we stop and enjoy the simple things?
When we rush around we miss the important things in life.
God wants to be with us in every moment of everyday. (Sounds overwhelming right?)
But his presence brings us what we need in each moment of each day. When were stressed he brings peace, when sad he brings comfort, when lonley, love.
Whatever is running through your head right now, give it to God, and let him be whatever you need.
Perspective Change
Help to grow your faith
I like books that stretch my faith and help deepen my relationship with Jesus. This Friday I would like to encourage in your faith by recommending a few books that have done just that for me.
As I said in my post Rejoice in others, Value the One it is good to rejoice in the success of others and to uplift our brothers and sisters in the faith.
Children and the Supernatural by Jennifer Toldeo is about real life accounts for healing, visions and miracles. I read this book as a devotional and it greatly encouraged and stretched my faith.
Heavenly Man is a account of the life and testimony of Brother Yun a leader of the Chinese underground church. His story really made me think about what I would be willing to go through for the gospel. It bolstered my faith and deepened my conviction.
Reckless Devotion by Roland and Heidi Baker is a great devotion that bolsters and expands your love for God. The stories of how God has provided for the Bakers and their ministry over and over again will make you laugh, cry and fall deeper in love with Jesus.
I hope you find these books encouraging in deepening your relationship with Jesus.
Share others
In my post Rejoice in Others, Value the One I talked about rejoicing in the ministry of others.
We are all the body of Jesus and we all have something to share. I want to share with you some of the people that challenge me to deepen my faith and intimacy with God.
A new way of gift giving
In this season of gift giving I want to encourage your to try a new kind of gift giving. The gift of a word from God for your friends and family.
This may sound scary or intimidating but it isn’t as scary as you may think.
God speaks to us in many different ways and one of those ways is through the prophetic. Giving a word for someone is simple. Spend some time in prayer and ask God to tell you a word, message or show you a picture or vision. Then write or draw what God tells you. If you are new to this I would suggest just asking for one word per person or an image.
Remember this is from God and should be free of your opinion or bias. To avoid writing a word that is your thoughts for this person I would suggest some randomization. I’ve done this many times in groups and as gifts to others. I find it’s best to ask God to give you the word without someone specific in mind. Try writing the words on unmarked cards then place them in sealed envelopes and label the envelopes with names later.
Others ideas for prophetic gift giving:
- Have your kids pray and ask God to give them a picture to draw and include it with your prophetic word
- Buy journals or notebooks and write prophetic words on the first page and randomly place them in stockings
- If your hosting a small group or gathering of believers, a prophetic white elephant gift exchange is fun (ask everyone to bring a gift and ask them to write a prophetic word to go with their gift) then play the white elephant gift exchange as usual, with the exception of not opening gifts til the swapping is over.
Giving the gift of a prophetic work last for eternity, it will never be thrown away, sold or returned. God’s word makes an impact on people, whether they receive it at that time or not.
Bless your family and friends this Christmas with a word from God.
the restoration of God
This months guest post is from a friend who is is very open, raw and honest in his walk with God. ~Rebecca Darga
crumbled. defeated. weathered. hopeless. shattered.
none of these conditions are bigger than the power of God’s Restoration.
no matter how bleak or impossible it might seem, He can rebuild it.
it will not look the same as before. it will cost you more than you expect. but when you give up the fight for something to BE the way YOU want it to be, and let God RESTORE it to the way HE wants it to be, there is always hope, beauty, life, and when finished – an amazing story to be told.
we must continually remind ourselves that:
He is the author, and we are His pen.
He is the painter, and we are His canvas.
He is the architect, and we are His tools.
Geoff Rimshas is the author of The Recovering Hypocrite
“I considers myself first and foremost a sinner saved by Grace, and I write to share my walk of tension between the Hope of Jesus and the shame of past mistakes.
I am desperate to know Jesus more in both the exciting and mundane details of the incredible life He has given me. I am thankful for my beautiful wife, Sara, our two amazing daughters, and our safe haven of a home in Livonia, Michigan.”
Let’s Bring 2021 in with JOY!
Merry Christmas
Some songs to bring you JOY. Merry Christmas!!!
From our family to yours, may your Christmas be filled with God’s Love, Joy and Peace!
Atmosphere matters
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is Paul’s common greeting when addressing other believers. It’s easy to gloss over but it’s important.
How we greet each other matters. It’s sets the tone for our whole time together. No one wants to come into a social situation and feel awkward, ignored or unwanted.
When we greet each other we should make everyone feel at peace and that means giving grace. Grace to that person that might get on our nerves and that gives everyone peace because there is no strife or conflict.
We can choose what atmosphere we create.
Heidi Baker
Be a miracle to someone
The Christmas Candle is a great movie about miracles in many different ways. (I know it’s not December yet.) But God does provide miraculous miracles of helping and provision and sometimes we are the miracle to someone else.
As Thanksgiving is fastly approaching I want to encourage you to look outwards instead of inward, with your thanksgiving. Who are you thankful for? Is there something you can do for them that we be a miracle for them?
Talk with the Holy Spirit and let him lead you to someone you can be Jesus too and bless them with your help, time or service.
You never know the impact you can make till you let Jesus be a miracle through you.
Love is Contagious
This months guest post is from a friend whom I greatly respect . He has a unique and deep intimate view of God and expresses that in his life daily. ~Rebecca Darga
I recently attended a wedding of a close family friend. The whole day went without a hitch- beautiful music, a great sermon, beautiful decorations and great food- but there was one thing that stood out to me more than all of this. This new bride and groom were head over heals in love. They have no experience whatsoever when it comes to being married, yet they’ve chosen each other for a lifetime. I found myself reminiscing about my wedding and glancing over at my wife with pure joy and thankfulness to the Lord. Witnessing people in love is contagious.
Our spiritual life is not so different.
When someone is in love with God, you can see it; the joy is written all over their face.
Over the years if we’re not careful, it can feel that our walk with the Lord becomes stagnant. Prayer becomes pointless. Reading the Bible is a chore. Going to church becomes the place to see friends and to hear a helpful sermon. “Isn’t there more than this? Where is the excitement and passion I once had?” you might ask yourself. The good news is you’re not alone, and there is a solution.
In Revelation, Jesus has some instruction to one of the churches: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance.
Let us take this passage as a warning and take heed from these sobering words:
It’s not enough to do good and work hard.
It’s not enough to have sound doctrine. It’s not enough to persevere and endure hardships.
It’s not enough to hate wickedness.
It’s not enough to know truth.
We must come back to our first love: Jesus.
How do we do that? People say, “love is the matter of the heart.” Ironically Jesus is just as much, if not more, than concerned about our heart’s condition:
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
So, how is your heart doing today? How has your heart been doing recently?
Do you feel like life has become stagnant, pointless, or a list of performing chores for God? Could it be that your heart has become exhausted, bitter, distracted, or infatuated with a temporary world instead of God’s purposes? Can you still remember the hope, love, and joy He once brought into to your life? Can you still see Him that way today?
Maybe you’re doing it right! That’s great! Keep your mind sober and your eyes fixed on Jesus.
Maybe you’re feeling far off from the Lord. Give Him your heart: the good, the bad, and the ugly. He loves you and is eagerly waiting for you. Today, there is an opportunity to repent and come back to Jesus, whatever the case may be. And know that when He comes, it changes everything. In a moment, He can provide all that you could ever need or hope for.
This is between you and the Holy Spirit. What is He speaking to you today? What is He telling you to do? How does He want you to respond? If you’re not sure, think back to the first time you had an encounter with the love of God. What were you thinking? What were you feeling? How did you respond in that moment? We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Our love should be an overflow of God’s love for us. There is no need to strive in His presence. Let everything you do be a response to God’s love, not a way in which to receive His love and salvation.
Fight for His presence. Forsake everything else at the cost of knowing Him. Don’t get tired and don’t give up. We must determine in our hearts and with our actions that God is the one who matters most.
My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ (Colossians 2:2)
For the One who is worthy,
James Loruss
James Loruss is an author, filmmaker and composer at Supernatural Truth Productions. Together with his wife, Connie, James ministers globally and locally to train believers, raise up leaders, and reach the lost with the Gospel. James serves as the Worship Pastor at Northville Christian Assembly of God in Northville, Michigan. He and Connie live in Novi, Michigan.
Spiritual Lens, Part 2
Heidi Baker
Spiritual lens change part 2
Seeing your life from the perspective of the Holy Spirit can change your whole perspective on life.