DNA

I have an absolutely beautiful, perfect, handsome 3 month old grandson, Corban.(but that's just my unbiased opinion) When I look at him my heart just melts. I can see his mother in him and I realize even more that I had a vital role to play in his life already. You see, inside of Corban is my DNA. The closer I look, I can see little bits of myself in my grandson. If I was never born--he could have never been born either. There are traits that I have passed this little boy that will develop as his little body develops.

Inside of you, is the DNA of your Father--God. As you mature the traits He has passed in you will develop and people will see His reflection. Because Jesus is your brother, the resemblance should be amazing. We have the same blood flowing through us from being connected to the same source. I often wonder about people that profess the adoption of salvation but none of the evidence shows up in their lives. Who's your daddy anyway? Jesus said to some " you are of your father-the devil. Let's take the time and really examine ourselves to see if we are really in the faith or not. The one thing that cannot be denied as evidence.....is DNA.

Selah!......

Race Strategy

Heb 12:1 Do you see what this means-all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running-and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed- that exhilarating finish in and with God-he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the pace of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flaggin in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! (The Messsage Bible)

I love the Message bible! It doesn't waste any time getting to the point...it just says it. We live in a day of strategy. We cannot just get out on the track and expect that we are going to run a great race without considering the method. A long distance race is not a sprint. In a long-distance race, your biggest enemies are your mind and your body...not necessarily the other runners. You can defeat yourself. As we "run" this race for Christ we defeat ourselves. There are many people out here on the course,,,most of them sitting by the wayside saying "oh, I'm just taking a break,,,I'll be back out there in a minute!" Yeah, sure. Truth is, it is very hard to get your momentum back once you let it go.
I have watched this scenario play out over and over again. People go their own way, do their own thing, go AMA (Against Ministerial Advice) ..and think they are going to have success and God's favor on them. It never works out that way. Oh, they get to enjoy the pleasure of the sin of disobedience for a season, but then the consequence shows up...BIG TIME! The devil is a ruthless opponent. He kicks them, punishes them, takes just about everything but their life and then adds condemnation to the top of the heap. The condemnation is the bonus for having a defiant spirit.
When the person realizes how far they have fallen, the condemnation prevents them from making a full recovery and returning home. The accuser then starts to whisper sweet nothings in their ear--everybody's looking at you, they are judging your mistakes, you can never be right, remember how you left???? Why do people think leaders take pleasure in the destruction of sheep? That's crazy, a true shepherd never wants to have that "I told you so" moment. We just want the sheep to come home so we can help them heal.
Remember, it is better to endure the hardness and keep running. Your second-wind will kick in just when you think you can't go further. It always does. As for all that have fallen off the pace,,,,get up,,,,and get back in the race. You can't finish if you don't begin again. God is very forgiving,,,so are his real people.
Selah....(pause and think)
Love you....~~PASTOR J~~

I love you....you love me

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all others. Romans 12:4-5

What an amazing dynamic, to be a part of the body of Christ. That means part of the Church. First of all lets get a clear definition of the Church. It's not the physical structure...the pews, the floor, ceiling or the building at all. It is every person that is a member that makes up the true Church--the body of Christ today. We all have an important job in the body. God gave us a reflection of how this all works in our own physical body.
Take your baby toe for instance. It is such a tiny little thing, you wonder "how could such a small thing affect the rest of me?" Just let you snag the smallest piece of your baby toenail. It is so painful, it makes you hurt all over, doesn't it? You pamper it and care for the injury. Your entire focus is on the tiniest spot of injury. Other people can't even see it, but it is so important to you, you can't think of anything else. Sometimes the pain is so bad, the rest of your body can't function. This is how the body of Christ is also. We are all connected together. If we are really in the Body, we love and care for each other and want the very best for them. We exercise care and concern to keep the Body functioning and in good health. It is not beneficial for me to hurt you, because truthfully, I am hurting myself. We are our brother's and sister's keeper. When you do well, I am happy and rejoice with you. When you hurt, I hurt too and try to help you recover physically, emotionally and spiritually. We are joined together in christian love and we share One Body--Christs'. Trust me,,,I love you...and you should ....love me. If you don't love me,,,then really, you don't love yourself. We are part of each other
Selah (pause and think about that)
I do love you all....PASTOR J

Observation

I had a dream last night about Observation. Observation has power over both the person being watched and the viewer. Have you ever wondered if your behavior is the same when you are being watched? You can only be the same if you have confidence in who you are. Otherwise, the power of eyes being upon you can cause you to alter your performance to appear to be someone you are not. The observer is taking in the action either by choice or by accident. I must say that I have been an unwilling observer to some incidents that altered my perception of people. What I thought I knew about them and what I saw come out of them in vivid live action, turned out to be the opposite of my judgement.
Wherever you go, you take the real you with you. Sooner or later, the truth of your life will be displayed for the whole world to see. Are you who you pretend to be? God is the Chief Observer in everyone's life. No need to pretend or try to perform for Him. That is simply a s waste of time and effort. If only we would put as much thought and energy into living for God in truth, as we do faking everyone else out. We all see what is displayed to us, but God sees simply what is.
Man looks on the outward,,,,God looks at the heart. Love You

Patience and Judgement

James 5:7-9 7Be patient, the, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autmn and spring rains.
8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.
9 Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door.

I sat this Monday morning and considered all of the recent events of just the past week of my life. Wow...what a turn of events. Isn't it amazing how people can always shock you by the things that are really in their hearts? When it comes to that, Jesus was wiser than us. He said he gave himself to no man--because he knew what was in them. What insight!!! I am starting to understand this principle more and more. You don't invest so much of yourself into people that when they faulter, and they will, not only do they self-destruct but they take a piece of you with them. You should never be that connected that you try to take over God's job as overseer. I realized that ultimately, all I can do is teach and preach the Word of God. People choose whether they accept it and use it to grow, or reject it and go their own way--using God as a cover-up. The choices people make,,,are their own.
I am learning that as a leader, somethings you can control--others you cannot. My greatest comfort is just the reality the God is the final judge of all of this. Over and over, I have watched helplessly as people fall to their spiritual death--all in the name of being right in their own eyes. After the great fall out and ultimate destruction of their reputation, the evil spirits of shame and condemnation take over. People never seem to be able to bring themselves to the point of restoration because they don't want to do what God requires for that dynamic to take place. So,,,they stay lost and wallow in defeat. All I can do is pray and be patient with people. I pray that they will not stray so far from the Father's covering. The enemy is waiting to devour the stragglers. The saddest part of it all....judgement always comes,,and never misses. Be careful at all times to make sure you are found in God's favor,,,not His judgement.

The Power of the Press

It was a great day today. We had a really great church service and the praise team is flowing in power more and more each time. I love it when God's plan comes together. All things work together for the good, to them that love God and are called-according to His purpose. Since it is Sunday, I wanted to share a clip of today's message "The Power of the Press". I think I will try to post a Sunday clip each week from the message-no matter who preaches at Living Truth. Nothing like a fresh Word to start a week off. Hope it blesses you and speaks to your heart. Love ya...Pastor J

Give Up

It's Saturday August 21, 2010....and it's time to give up. A lifeguard is proficient at saving people, basically from themselves. As long as the swimmer is thrashing wildly about it is a great risk to both the swimmer and the rescuer. All of the training in the world cannot overcome the mental state and physical power of panic. God is watching us in our situation,,right now. Instead of trust, we are demonstrating a wild tantrum of the flesh, where we are just hurting ourselves. God is waiting for us to get in the position of surrender so He can provide the help that is readily available. The lifeguard sometimes has to wait for the person to sink before they can be truly saved. After the swimmer has exhausted their energy, then the lifeguard can come in an carry the person to safety. If we would only trust God first we would realize that our salvation is closer than what we think. As we slowly go under, we cry out "Lord, save me". It is then we feel his loving hand carry us safely to shore as we simply rest on his promise. Stop wasting your time and energy kicking against your situation. Simply give up!

Where Have You Put Him?

I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:8 (NIV)

The Word for today "Where Have You Put Him?" Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father. It is the seat of honor you know?...the right hand. Even James and John's mother asked for one of her sons to sit on Jesus' right and one one the left in the Kingdom. Jesus said that it is not his place to give those seats out and furthermore, she really did not know what she was asking for. How many of us do things and ask for things and we really don't know the weight of what we are asking for? (Selah--stop and think about that). Anyway, when things are placed at the right hand it shows the order of importance and authority. The Lord should always be in that special place that is reserved for honor. He should be in the place where we go for advice, counsel and wisdom. If we look closer, we may find that the Lord is not seated where we though he is in our lives! Often our pride, selfishness, intellect and rebellion are sitting in his seat. These are the things we are listening to when we make decisions, not the Lord. So I guess the real question is, "Where Have You Put Him???"