http://www.allianceym.org/index.cfm?i=9756&mid=25&blogid=5391 Short reflections on Gods word. AdvancedMinistry Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} HANDY LITTLE CHART - GOD HAS A POSITIVE ANSWER:    YOU SAY GOD SAYS BIBLE VERSES You say:'It's impossible' God says:  All things are possible ( Luke 18:27) You say: 'I'm too tired' God says: I will give you rest ( Matthew 11:28-30) You say: 'Nobody really loves me' God says: I love you ( John 3:1  6 & John 3:34 ) You say: 'I can't go on' God says: My grace is sufficient (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15) You say:  'I can't figure things out' God says: I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-  6) You say: 'I can't do it' God says: You can do all things ( Philippians 4:13) You say: 'I'm not able' God says: I am able (II Corinthians 9:8) You say: 'It's not worth it' God says: It will be worth it (Roman 8:28 ) You say: 'I can't forgive myself' God says: I Forgive you (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1) You say: 'I can't manage' God says: I will supply all your needs ( Philippians 4:19) You say: 'I'm afraid' God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear ( II Timothy 1:7) You say: 'I'm always worried and frustrated' God says: Cast all your cares on ME (I Peter 5:7) You say: 'I'm not smart enough' God says: I give you wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30) You say: 'I feel all alone' God says: I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5) Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} HANDY LITTLE CHART - GOD HAS A POSITIVE ANSWER:    YOU SAY GOD SAYS BIBLE VERSES You say: 'It's impossible' God says:  All things are possible ( Luke 18:27) You say: 'I'm too tired' God says: I will give you rest ( Matthew 11:28-30) You say: 'Nobody really loves me' God says: I love you ( John 3:1  6 & John 3:34 ) You say: 'I can't go on' God says: My grace is sufficient (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15) You say:  'I can't figure things out' God says: I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-  6) You say:'I can't do it' God says: You can do all things ( Philippians 4:13) You say: 'I'm not able' God says: I am able (II Corinthians 9:8) You say: 'It's not worth it' God says: It will be worth it (Roman 8:28 ) You say: 'I can't forgive myself' God says: I Forgive you (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1) You say: 'I can't manage' God says: I will supply all your needs ( Philippians 4:19) You say: 'I'm afraid' God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear ( II Timothy 1:7) You say: 'I'm always worried and frustrated' God says: Cast all your cares on ME (I Peter 5:7) You say: 'I'm not smart enough' God says: I give you wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30) You say: 'I feel all alone' God says: I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5) http://www.allianceym.org/index.cfm?i=9756&mid=25&blogid=5391&comments=34393 34393 Thu, 17 May 2012 14:51:00 +0000 Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to themthe children of Israel. ~ Joshua 1:2 There is a powerful principle that we must learn from this verse. God is calling us to regroup and move forward. We all go through difficulties that bring us to a halt. I am in no way minimizing the pain and hurt that some situations might bring. And I believe that many times only time will heal the scars. However we must get back up on our feet and move on. Your blessing is not here, you need to move forward in order to claim what God promised for you. We cannot get to the next chapter in our lives when we continue to re-read the past chapter. I want to challenge you to walk forward – if you're going through hell – go through it! Don't stay there. Your best is ahead of you. http://www.allianceym.org/index.cfm?i=9756&mid=25&blogid=5391&comments=29393 29393 Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:32:00 +0000 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." Acts 16:31 We can only change people when we influence them. We can only influence them when we connect with them. We can only connect with them when we care about them. Paul and Silas made it clear to the prison keeper that they cared for his well being. This seemed like the perfect opportunity, an answer from God even. They had been held captive and beaten without committing any crime. They had the right to flee when the walls came down. This is the nature of a true Christ follower: They place the need of the prison keeper before their own. I am thinking he was even part of the beating that was given to Paul and Silas. Regardless, they forgave him and helped him out at the end. People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care ~ John Maxwell When the prison keeper realized that his life had been spared by the men that he had unjustly hurt he had no choice but to wonder why? Why, would anyone do this? He was now ready to be influenced by the life changing gospel of Jesus Christ. The connection had been made. The prison keeper wanted everyone that he cared about to know what had gone on that day. This act of kindness would change an entire household. That, my friends, is the power of connecting. // http://www.allianceym.org/index.cfm?i=9756&mid=25&blogid=5391&comments=24076 24076 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:39:00 +0000 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5 There is evil in our world, but good has not been eliminated. In our lives we feel like our situation is hopeless but the reality is that there is hope. The darkness has not overcome the light! That is because the enemy has been defeated and death has lost its power. When the darkness seems to govern in our lives it is at that point that the light will make a breakthrough. When this word was being declared it was refereeing to Jesus the light of the world, our Savior. During this time in history God the father had kept silent. The people lived under captivity. I am sure the people felt hopeless. So God raised John the Baptist to testify about the light! I tell you today, you may feel like chaos has taken over your life. Like John, I testify that there is hope in Jesus Christ. The darkness has not overcome the light. Your enemy has been defeated! Your victory is found in him! God is still in control of all things including your life. http://www.allianceym.org/index.cfm?i=9756&mid=25&blogid=5391&comments=20600 20600 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 10:47:00 +0000 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 This word was being declared during a difficult time. The time was so hard that I am sure the people had lost the hope for a better tomorrow. We all go through trying times and lose our hope. God is reminding us that he had already made arrangements for what we are going through. His word declares: "plans to prosper you and not to harm, plans to give you hope and a future." Those two words "hope" and "future" are key. Without hope we have no future. Hope is that last thing that we lose. I see God bringing us hope, I already have a plan to prosper you. I have a bail out plan already set in place. Be encouraged my friend, regardless of how bad your current situation is. God has a plan for your future. Your present isn't your permanent address, it is temporary. His promise, his abundance and his blessings await you. http://www.allianceym.org/index.cfm?i=9756&mid=25&blogid=5391&comments=20470 20470 Thu, 24 Feb 2011 14:04:00 +0000 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 The more that I read and listen to God's word, the more aware I become of how powerful words are. Words have the ability to create, nourish and sustain. They have the power to govern and dictate our present and future life. In the beginning was the Word... The Creator is the Word, because words have the power to create. Therefor he spoke things into existence. God has no beginning and no end. There was nothing before him, so he created (word). He gives us the greatest example of how words, his words, have the power to create, (1)he created the universe by speaking it into existence, have the power to nourish, (2) he ordered all things to grow and to reproduce and the power sustain, (3) this universe is held together by the power of his word. and the Word was with God... God wasn't working alone, he had company when he was creating our universe. The Trinity was at work during the creation. and the Word was God... Isn't this awesome he is the source of creation and he makes himself available to us so that we may create as well. If we use his word we can experience the power of creation in our lives. It is time to allow God and his power to work in our behalf. He created words as the container of his power for your use. He will honor your words. So speak wisely. http://www.allianceym.org/index.cfm?i=9756&mid=25&blogid=5391&comments=20053 20053 Mon, 14 Feb 2011 11:57:00 +0000 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Mathew 7:7 I have no doubt in my mind that I haven't gone further in life because I haven't knocked on enough doors. Why are we so shy about asking? We should have a relentless attitude. I am not speaking about material possessions alone, I am speaking about furthering God's Kingdom. God has placed a purpose, a mission in everyone's life. Many times we struggle moving into God's plan because we lack the resources. The interesting thing is that God has already placed the resources around us but we must activate them! We activate the God given resources by asking for them. If God told you to go, he will furnish the transportation and will take care of all the expenses. The key is found in asking. http://www.allianceym.org/index.cfm?i=9756&mid=25&blogid=5391&comments=18682 18682 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 11:24:13 +0000 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. Philippians 3:19 Their god is their stomach! Basically we are talking about a life lead by our desires. We go after what ever we are hungry for. The Bible warns us that this type of behavior will destine us to destruction. When we lead this type of life our mind will be set on earthly things. The opposite which is to make Jesus our God guarantees us a life that is destined to victory. This kind of life is not focused on earthly things but is focused on establishing Gods Kingdom. Not my will but your be done! How do we dethrone our stomachs? I believe the first step is to deprive ourselves from eating, to fight against the desires of our stomach. I believe that as we win this battle we begin to gain control over our entire life. Secondly big changes happen when we make small changes on a daily basis. Prayer, Bible reading, fasting these are all spiritual disciplines that we as Christians need to apply to our daily routine. When we became Christian we made a commitment to make him our Lord and Savior. This begins by dethroning your stomach. http://www.allianceym.org/index.cfm?i=9756&mid=25&blogid=5391&comments=18514 18514 Thu, 6 Jan 2011 12:24:43 +0000 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Mathew 4:3 It is amazing to me how the first thing the enemy does is try and confuse us. There must be something about us doubting ourselves that empowers him. Last night I heard Jay Z speak about his success. Many asked how he had gathered the courage to make bold moves in his career. His answer was solid: You must believe in who you are. Because when you know who you are you will forge your way through any situation. That is it! When the enemy makes us doubt who we are, he strikes a tremendous blow on our ability to persist. Doubt will suction your staying power right out of you. If you want to succeed you must constantly remind yourself of who Christ says that you are. Notice how Jesus didn't waist his time or energy trying to prove who he was. He made it a point to tackle the situation. Don't let doubt wear you down! Believe in God and believe in the ability he has given you to overcome. http://www.allianceym.org/index.cfm?i=9756&mid=25&blogid=5391&comments=18281 18281 Tue, 28 Dec 2010 17:51:57 +0000 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:17 It is amazing that one of the first things John the Baptist was to do with the power invested in him was to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and to correct those who lived in disobedience. I believe this is so because Jesus had come to restore authority and honor. Not only was there a broken relationship between God (our father) and men, but there was also a broken relationship between parents and their children. That broken link has left our next generation vulnerable. The bible is very clear: Honor your parents and you will inherit long life. The opposite of that is death. When that relationship is restored, long life is restored to our generation. This generation is a confident generation but they have no experience and will get themselves in trouble. Many parents have grown frustrated and given up on mentoring their children. (Train a child in the way that he must go, and he will never depart from it) As Christian parents we must restore our place as mentors of our children. As youth workers, youth Pastors, youth leaders we must make mentoring a priority. I believe that John the Baptist was to restore mentoring of the children so that they would not walk on their own understanding but would return to living in the will of God. We must take interest in investing and engraving Gods will in our next generation. The enemy wants to destroy our future, but God wants to remind us that he has plans for our future. Plans of prosperity and joy. I feel that is part of Gods will for us to restore the relationships between parents and their children, between mentor and student so that the will of God will be completed in the next generation. God commanded Moses to tell the people of God: and you are to repeat the words to your children constantly. God was commanding his people to mentor the next generation. http://www.allianceym.org/index.cfm?i=9756&mid=25&blogid=5391&comments=17996 17996 Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:39:39 +0000 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 I love knowing that God is capable of meeting every single need that I have or could ever have. As a matter of fact it is a constant prayer of mine. I want God to be my provider, I want to be able to trust in his ability to bless me. Sometimes my prayer is need oriented. Lord bless me, Lord provide for me, Lord send increase my way. As I write this I am beginning to feel a bit selfish. Am I focusing too much on being blessed? Have I lost my focus? If verse 19 is all we read then our prayer might become selfish. We will begin to think that Christianity is all about how much blessings I can receive from above. Is this really what Paul had in mind? If we read the previous verses we will find that the reason why these people where being blessed wasn't because they fervently prayed about it. The blessing was a result of their financial faithfulness to Paul's ministry. It wasn't a one time gift, they had been supporting Paul since the time they met. Paul explains that concern needs to be followed by an action for it to be appreciated. They believed in Paul's calling and to prove that they believed in his calling they made contributions to his ministry. These contributions allowed him to travel to Macedonia and share the gospel. It was the fact that they aided in the sharing of the gospel that caused them to be blessed. God will always bless those who are willing to bless those who are a blessing. We must shift our focus. Our prayers should sound more like this: God please provide so that I may bless those who are a blessing to so many. I believe that type of prayer pleases God and he will bless you in abundance. Enough to give and enough for you to be blessed. http://www.allianceym.org/index.cfm?i=9756&mid=25&blogid=5391&comments=17947 17947 Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:12:11 +0000 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If others think they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:We are reminded that it isn't by our will power that we conquer our humanity but it is by the grace of God. Paul is reminding us that it isn't the sacrifice that justifies us, it is the obedience. 7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ Phillipians 3:3-4; 7-8 What good is it for me to go through all the motions and not follow it up with love. It is in vain that we do any sacrifice if there is no emotion, no love involved. We must be-careful every time that we overcome. By nature we grow confident and that confidence turns into pride. God see's the pride-full from afar.  We must constantly remind ourselves that it is only because of Jesus that we are alive. We must not become confident on our abilities. We must only trust that we are well able to do things because of his spirit. When we learn to see the big picture we see that our accomplishments are good for us, but are so limited to impact anyone else. Only by the power of Christ can we truly impact our generation. In other words you are good, but not that good. You still need lots of Jesus. As a matter of fact, the more that you know Jesus the more that you need Jesus. To conclude Paul is saying works are necessary and are great, as long as they come with faith in Christ, accomplishments help us grow, as long as we give God the glory for our success, and we must surrender our strengths to the feet of the cross so that they may be used for the greater good. http://www.allianceym.org/index.cfm?i=9756&mid=25&blogid=5391&comments=17807 17807 Wed, 8 Dec 2010 00:00:52 +0000 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14 Lead not by what it is, but lead by what it has been and what it will be ~ John C. Maxwell It is so important for us not to remain focused on the present condition. Sometimes our present isn't even 10% of what we hope it would be. It is good to evaluate your present but you must remain positive and not give up until you see what you have dreamed. It is dangerous to take our focus away from our goal. Several things can occur: 1. Peter took his eyes of Jesus and began to sink into his situation. When we focus on our current condition if we are not careful we can become overwhelmed by it. 2. The people of Israel where on their way to the promised land, but they found an Oasis and quickly forgot how much better reaching their destination would be. Many times we become complacent with the good and we give up on Gods best for our lives. 3. The Prophet Elijah after seeing success comes to a dry time when things weren't going his way. He wanted to give up. He even asked God to take his life because he wasn't any better than his ancestors. Paul makes some declarations that I know will help us stay on track: 1. I know I am not there yet. I understand that it is a process and I am on the move. I am not going to stay focused on what I am not, but instead I am going to focus on what God says that I will become! 2. I might be getting better but I haven't reached my goal yet, I will press on! 3. I have had my ups and downs, but I am going to forget my downs and all those negative things that I did in the past and I am going to keep focused on what is ahead of me! 4. I understand that if I give up now I will cheat myself out of the life that God intended for me! I have cheated myself many times before, but I will not cheat myself again I will answer the call that Christ has made to me. I will lead the life he meant for me to live. Joyce Meyer says it best: I am not where I need to be, but thank God I am not where I use to be! http://www.allianceym.org/index.cfm?i=9756&mid=25&blogid=5391&comments=17643 17643 Fri, 3 Dec 2010 11:36:33 +0000 1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, Philippians 2:1-3 Value others above yourself. That is the essence of what Jesus did when he was on earth. He placed the will of the father and the need of the people as a priority. I cannot work in unity when I have my own agenda. The concept of getting something out of everything that I do keeps me from doing right when I don't benefit from it. Paul is telling us not to be selfish, but as long as our focus is on getting something in return our intentions will lead us to selfish actions. The fix to this mindset is found in being like-minded with Christ! Just off the top of my head here are some elements that I believe Christ considers to be important: 1. Share his love with your neighbor 2. Share your time with others 3. Make others laugh, a good laugh reduces stress 4. Provide for the emotional needs of your spouse and children 5. Let your friends and acquaintances know that your thinking of them during your day These simple 5 actions remind others of how special they are. I am certain that there are so many others that we could list, but these are the ones that I am currently working on in my life. Remember what ever you do, do it with the mindset of blessing others without looking for anything in return. http://www.allianceym.org/index.cfm?i=9756&mid=25&blogid=5391&comments=17609 17609 Thu, 2 Dec 2010 11:47:09 +0000 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, Philippians 1:18 Paul understood that Christ being talked about was the most important accomplishment he could achieve. I know that it is very hard to keep your eyes on the goal when every one is mocking you. It is hard to continue to do good when the very people that you are trying to help are criticizing your efforts. At that point it is so easy to shift our focus from doing right and place it on our rights. At this point we get discouraged and quit. Paul continued to remind himself that his mission was not for Paul to look good, his mission was for Christ to be talked about. I know keeping our eyes on our goal is difficult when we are being attacked on a personal level. If we do manage to look past that situation we will enjoy seeing how those who want to hurt us are actually helping us. So, rejoice and continue to rejoice because your goal will be met. http://www.allianceym.org/index.cfm?i=9756&mid=25&blogid=5391&comments=17553 17553 Wed, 1 Dec 2010 10:16:17 +0000 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 I am reminded that life is a journey. It is a process. We don't grow in one day, we grow daily. The greatest thing of all is that if I allow God to take over my growth process he will keep up with it. He won't let me truncate my growth. He will encourage me with his word to grow in  specific areas of my life and character. Growth happens every time that we connect with God. It is like your Windows PC. It does its updates every-time you get online. If you keep your computer of line for a month, you will find dozens of updates that are needed so that your operating system will keep working smoothly. When we fail to get those updates we get the blue screen of death "FATAL ERROR WINDOWS MUST SHUT DOWN!" When we fail to connect with God our lives begin to crash. So get connected with God and allow he who began the good work in you to carry out his plan for your life. Thank you God for being the author of my story. I know I can trust you to get the job done. http://www.allianceym.org/index.cfm?i=9756&mid=25&blogid=5391&comments=17516 17516 Tue, 30 Nov 2010 13:34:53 +0000 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy Philippians 1:3 Paul speaks about three activities in these verses that I believe will keep us blessed. Fellowship – The greatest things that we can have in life are memories. I love remembering the parties we have with our youth. I love remembering the times when we laughed together.  But I also love remembering those times in which God has poured out his love over our youth and we are all broken in his presence. Fellowship is such a strong bonding element. And in hard times those memories are what get you through it all.   Prayer –  I believe in prayer. Prayer should be a part of our fellowship. Only prayer and a healthy fellowship can get us through some of life’s harder situations. We should always pray for our friends and people that we love. This is the main difference between believer and non believers – we pray for our friends.   Joy –  God’s word reminds us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Joy ultimately comes from God, but good friends help us conserve it. Not only do they conserve our joy but they add many smiles to it.   To wrap it all up. Paul had many great friends that added joy to his life. As a matter of fact most of Paul’s letters were written to his friends. He was sharing his passion to his friends.  So that they would lift him up in prayer.  As you go through your week make sure to make some time for good friends. God bless. http://www.allianceym.org/index.cfm?i=9756&mid=25&blogid=5391&comments=17464 17464 Mon, 29 Nov 2010 11:40:03 +0000