Tag Archives: Christian

July 17, 2012 · 10:19 AM

What do you see in the mirror

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Do you see someone who is worthless, ugly, boring, fat or a failure? Do you see yourself through the eyes of what other people or society has told you? How you see yourself matters. It reflects in who you are and in your relationships with other people.

If you do not see anything positive when you look in the mirror, you are not alone. I’ve looked in the mirror before and have seen many of the things listed above. I had to reevaluate how I saw myself to change who I am. Once I was able to do that, things in my life changed.

Here are a few things you can do to help change how you see yourself.

1. God created you

Not only did God create you, but He created you in His likeness. Genesis 1:27 says that God created mankind in His image and likeness. Just as a child has the same characteristic traits of his parents, God created you with His characteristic traits. Who you are is a reflection of Him.

Scripture also tells us in Ephesians 2:10 that we are God’s masterpiece and handiwork. You are a masterpiece that God created. He knew what He was doing when He made you. Psalm 139:14 acknowledges that you were wonderfully made. God doesn’t make failures or things that are worthless. You are His masterpiece!

2. God knows you

In a world of 7 billion people, it’s important to know that God knows who you are. You are not just a spec of sand on a beach. You are known by God intimately. In Jeremiah 1:5, God says, “Before I formed YOU in the womb, I knew and approved of you as my chosen instrument (AMP).” God not only knows you, but He has created you for a reason.

With that reason comes a plan. Jeremiah 29:11 says that God knows the plans He has for YOU. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give YOU a future and a hope. God has your life laid out for you. He knows your future and what you will accomplish. God knows who you are, where you are and why you are here. Only you can fulfill what He made you to do. You have a purpose!

3. God values you

Not only did God create you and make a purpose for you, He sacrificed His only son for you. Think about that. You are worth so much to God that He was willing to send His son to this world to be sacrificed for your wrong doing. His desire is to have a relationship with you and the only way He could do that was to pay the highest price possible for you.

Jesus said that if he had 100 sheep and one got lost, He would leave the 99 to find that one. That one is YOU! If you were the only one on the planet that was lost, God values you so much that He still would have sacrificed His son just for you. God places a high value on you. You are priceless!

However you see yourself now, begin to look in the mirror with different eyes and thoughts. Know that you are a one of a kind original masterpiece that was designed by God and for His purpose. You are valued above all else in creation. It doesn’t matter what other people think or say about you. What matters is how God sees you. Look at yourself in the mirror through His eyes and watch your life change.

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July 13, 2012 · 9:21 AM

Freedom From Fear

Fear is a powerful emotion that grips a lot of people’s lives. It is crippling to those who live with it. It can keep you from sleeping, having relationships, friendships or from leaving your own house. It is a very difficult thing to live with.

If you haven’t ever had to live in fear, thank God. If you have had to or are living in fear, the Bible has answers for how to be released from its grip. I once lived in paralyzingly fear, but I held on to God’s Word and was set free.

Psalm 34:4 (AMP) gives us 3 things we can do to be free of fear.

1. Seek the Lord

The first thing to do when anything, especially fear, grips your life is to seek the Lord. Prayer is your first option. Spend time alone with God to let Him know that fear is taking over your life. When you seek God, it takes your mind off of what is stalking you.

In my own life, we went through each room in the house and prayed for God to send a Spirit of Peace. I sought the Lord in scripture and kept reading I Timothy 1:7. It says that God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. Peace comes from God, not fear.

2. Ask God for help

I like how the Amplified version puts this verse. It says, “require Him [of necessity and on the authority of His Word].” When fear has you pinned down, you are asking Him for help out of necessity because you can’t move. God recognizes the urgency of a prayer born out of necessity and it moves Him to action.

The next part is like I mentioned before. You have to know what His Word says and promises to you. Many people in the Bible dealt with fear. You are not alone. Find out what God’s word says about overcoming fear. Claim the authority of the Bible in your own life and ask God to keep His promise in scripture to you.

3. Be delivered

The last part of that verse says that the Lord will hear you and deliver you from all your fears. The Lord is willing to deliver you, but you have to be willing as well. What I mean by this is that sometimes we get so caught up in a life of fear that we can’t remember life without it. We then become afraid of the change.

Allow God to deliver you of all your fears. God wants you to Walk in freedom and live in liberty. You were not made to live in a prison of fear. Once you are delivered, don’t go back to that prison. Learn to live in liberty free from fear. It may take some time, but it is worth it.

What fear is keeping you hostage right now? How has that impacted your life? Seek God for help, learn His word and what promises are available to you to free you and then allow Him to deliver you. God wants to give you a spirit of power, love and a sound mind so you can walk in freedom.

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July 6, 2012 · 10:59 AM

The miracle of obedience

How often do we look at what we have and say, “I don’t have enough. I can’t give God any because I won’t have anything left over”? It could be your time, money or talents that you say that about. We look at what we have and see what we don’t have. God looks at what we have and sees the potential.

His ways are not our ways and His perspective is a lot different too. He can take what’s broken in your life and fix it. He can take your little bit of talent and magnify it. He can take even what little money you may have and make it stretch. It all depends on your obedience though. Obedience is where miracles begin.

In I Kings 17, God illustrates this principle of obedience yielding miracles.

1. Give what you have to God first

In this story, a widow was gathering sticks to prepare the last bit of food she had for herself and her son. Elijah, the prophet of God, walked up and told her that he was hungry and that she should use what she had to prepare a meal for him first. She could then use what was leftover to prepare food for herself.

If we are honest, most of us wouldn’t have given up our last meal to a stranger. That is where we miss our blessings though. Giving up what little we have to God first opens the windows of blessing on our lives. If God asks for it, trust Him to provide a way. Scripture is full of examples of this principle.

2. Take care of yourself too

God did not leave her hungry. In the very beginning of the conversation, she was told that she would have enough to prepare for herself after. Even though she knew that there wasn’t enough, she trusted any way. She was able to feed herself and her son with that little bit until the drought ended.

We think that God is taking everything when He asks for the little we have, but in reality, He will not leave you without. He leaves enough to take care of yourself too. On the first time I decided to regularly give God 10% of my income, I sat down and did a budget. After paying Him and all my bills, I had $4.30 left over. I gave my tithe anyway. I didn’t go hungry even though I didn’t get paid for 2 weeks. God provided.

3. God will refill your supply

God refilled her oil and flour until the drought ended just as He promised. God cannot fail or go back on what He has promised. He will always refill your supply if you will trust Him with it. It’s the letting go that is hard for us. We live in a world of tangible things and God’s miracles are not always immediately tangible.

I’ve heard it said many times that if God can get it through you, He will get it to you. The reason that most of us don’t see miracles like that is because He can’t get things through us. We forget that what we have (time, money or talent) is not ours. We are just stewards. He wants to do more through you, but it takes you letting go in faith.

What has God asked you to give up? What do you have that you feel is too little to give Him? God doesn’t look at the amount you give Him. He looks at the percentage of what you give Him in comparison to what you have. Remember the widow with the two pennies? Don’t be afraid to let go when He asks. He will perform miracles through your obedience.

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July 5, 2012 · 8:58 AM

Getting peace in your body, mind and soul

I had the privilege several years ago to be able to visit Israel. I traveled all over the country visiting different sites and cities. In each place, I would stop and read from the Bible different passages of scripture that happened in each location. When I would do that, the scripture really became alive to me.

One of the places I visited that made a huge impact on me was the Mount of the Beatitudes. As I sat there reading Matthew 5, I felt this overwhelming sense of peace over me. It was unlike any other peace I had ever felt. My mind, body and spirit were all calm at once. It was amazing.

Scripture tells us that we can have that kind of peace between the three parts.

1. Peace in your mind

This is probably the most desired peace among people. We are caught up in a world that is fast paced and where debts are high. Our minds have so much information to process in such a short period of time that worry quickly sets in. Even through all of that, God wants your mind to have peace.

In John 14:27, Jesus said to not let our hearts be troubled and to stop letting ourselves to get agitated and disturbed because He was leaving His peace with us. When we don’t accept that peace, we allow ourselves to be agitated and disturbed with all the other thoughts that consume us. Put away those thoughts and accept the peace He gave you.

2. Peace in your body

Our bodies can easily grow weary. The days of 9-5 work are over. We now work sun up to sun down and then try to get the kids to practice or to games. We have friendships and relationships that we are also trying to maintain. Our bodies suffer from fatigue and often get sick as a result.

When Jesus healed people, He often told them to go in peace. Through the healing, He was also offering peace to their bodies that had been suffering. Scripture also says that God will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on the Lord. Peace in your mind will lead to peace in your body.

3. Peace in your soul

C. S. Lewis once said that we are not a body with a soul, but a soul with a body. Our soul is who we are. It is what this shell of flesh is around and what will live for eternity. A lot of people live in fear of not knowing where their soul will go once this body dies. When that fear is present, you do not have peace in your inner man. That lack of peace then translates to the rest of your being and then life.

Philippians 4:7 says that God’s peace shall be yours. That peace is a tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ. We can rest assured in our souls once we accept Christ as our savior we have that life. 1 John 5:12,13 say that whoever has the Son has life… I have written these things that you may know you have eternal life. Your soul can have that peace that it needs as well.

No matter what part of you needs peace, you can find it in Jesus. It takes us receiving it though which means we have to push out other things that are preventing it. God’s desire for you is that you have peace in your body, mind and soul. Pray for and accept that peace today and watch how your life changes.

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July 4, 2012 · 8:55 AM

Spiritual Independence

Today, the USA celebrates its independence from Britain. All across this country families and friends will gather to cook, pop fireworks and to enjoy the freedom that this country offers. It is a holiday that we all, as Americans, cherish and hold dear as we should.

As Christians, we should also celebrate our independence from sin. Many believers can point to the day where they recognized that Jesus paid the price for their spiritual freedom. Galatians 5:1 says that it was for freedom that Christ set us free. We should celebrate that freedom too.

Here are three things I’m thankful to be free of spiritually.

1. Free from the cost of sin

The cost of sin is high. Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is (spiritual) death. That death is separation from God for all of eternity. We are born into sin and follow after its desires. It is natural for us to do what is wrong because it is innate in us. We are bound by it from birth.

Jesus said that He came to bring (spiritual) life abundantly. His death on the cross paid the penalty (death) for our sins. God’s love for us is so great that He did not spare even His own Son so that we could be with Him and would not have to be separated from Him for eternity. Colossians 1:14 says that He purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

2. The effects of sin

Many people live their lives in regret of what they did while they were sinners. They allow their past to keep them from the future God has for them. There is no one without a past. There is no one, except Jesus, who has not sinned and had to deal with the effects of that sin.

While we are still bound to the physical consequences of our sin, Jesus has freed us from the spiritual effects of it. Hebrews 8:12 tells us that God will forgive our sins and will never remember them again. If he doesn’t remember them, neither should we once we are forgiven. Don’t let regret over forgiven sins hold you down.

3. The chains of sin

Sin wants to bind you up and keep you from living how you were supposed to live. It desires to tie you up and to create strongholds in your life. It wants to make you a slave to its desires and will. Once Christ has freed you, don’t go back to that life again. Galatians 5:1 also says to make sure you stay free and don’t get tied up again.

We have been freed of the chains of sin that bind us. We have the power, through Christ, to not go back into that life that bound us up. Hebrews 12:1 says we are to strip off any unnecessary weight and the sin that so readily clings to us and entangles us. It wouldn’t tell us to get rid of it if we couldn’t do it! We can be free from those chains of sin.

When you think about freedom, don’t just think of your physical freedom. Think about your spiritual freedom. That price wasn’t cheap either and that freedom lasts for eternity. We can be thankful to be free from the price, effects and chains that sin brings. What’s holding you back from walking in that freedom?

This is a prayer provided by Michael Moak to help us walk in that freedom.

Dear Lord,
Today is the day we celebrate our independence in the United States of America. So, today I find myself thinking about the spiritual independence that you have given to us because of Your death on a brutal cross. Thank you for obeying Your heavenly father and placing Yourself in the role as the sacrifice for the sins of all mankind!

I’m so thankful today for your amazing and wonderful love for me and for every person that calls upon Your name! Just as America’s freedom came at a very high price, so did my spiritual freedom! It was bought by Your blood, as it flowed from your broken body, which hung on a cross of pain, suffering and torture. I am so humbled as I think that you not only knew me on that day, but you willingly chose to subject yourself to death by crucifixion because You loved me with an unmeasurable love.

Help me to live my life worthy of the price that you paid for it. And I pray that you would bring America back to the realization that the freedom within its borders is directly attributed to the blessings that You have poured out upon us throughout history because Your favor and grace is so deep and vast. I pray for my heart to fully rely on the incredible faith that comes from You alone. I also ask that you would allow me to leave a proud legacy of spiritual depth and dependence in You so that my children will grow to become men and women of God. For they are the future leaders of the United States of America.

Your love for this great nation has not ceased; therefore, once again, restore America to be the land that honors, glorifies and represents Your name and kingdom with love, obedience, and reverence. I ask all these things in the name of Your almighty and only son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

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July 3, 2012 · 5:40 PM

Denying Your Flesh

If you are like me, there is a constant struggle to do what I know God wants me to do instead of what I want to do. This battle rages on every day. It is a constant struggle that we all fight. Some days my spirit wins and others my flesh. I don’t think I’ll ever get to the point where my spirit will win every time, but that doesn’t mean I should give up.

Galatians 5:16 gives us a few ways we can stop gratifying the cravings and desires of the flesh.

1. Walk and live in the Holy Spirit

I like how the Amplified version puts it. It says we are to walk and live habitually in the Spirit. That means that I have to do it consistently. It needs to be an every day practice of doing what the Spirit wants instead of what the flesh wants.

One of the ways we can do this is to fast. Fasting is a great way to deny your flesh and to give in to the desires of the Spirit. Use the time that you would normally eat to pray, read scripture or to help someone in need. By doing that, you weaken the strength your flesh has and strengthen your spirit man.

2. Be responsive to the Holy Spirit

All day long the Holy Spirit speaks to us to do something for someone in our path. We often ignore His voice or we choose not to do whatever it is. Either way, that is a lack of responsiveness to His voice and we are not only robbing ourselves of blessings, but also the person we are choosing not to help.

Being responsive means we need to purposefully decide each day to be open to hearing His voice and to doing what He asks. Each morning, I pray and ask God to open my eyes so that I can see others in need and to give me the courage to step out and obey when I hear His voice.

3. Be controlled and guided by the Holy Spirit

Being controlled is against everything in us. We are independent and want to stay that way. God says that if we want true freedom, we should give up our independence to Him. That means we need to give Him control of our lives and allow Him to guide us.

When we are guided by the Spirit, we will do the things the spirit wants us to do. We will be able to overcome the desires of the flesh that keep us from doing what He wants. We will see others like never before and make a difference in other’s lives like never before.

If you are not satisfied with your ability to do what God asks you or to deny your flesh, then there is room for growth. All of us have an opportunity to grow, but not all of us look for those opportunities where we can. If you truly want to beat your flesh then learn to live and walk habitually in the Spirit, be responsive to Him and then be controlled and guided by Him. In doing this, you will no longer give into the desires of the flesh that keep you from doing what God wants.

Here is a prayer provided by Michael Moak that you can pray to help you.

Dear Lord,

Today I face new challenges and move one step closer towards Your will for my future. And because I’m not You, I know that I have the ability to destroy everything that is good in my life and to allow the weights and pressures of this world to control my actions and emotions. So, I need You today more than yesterday. Jesus. I need Your peace and your presence to sustain me as I endeavor to follow and obey your direction for my life. Show me the path in life that you have constructed and designed for my gifts and talents. And when things get tough, and I know they will often, help me to realize that my own strength and abilities are far too small and ineffective to make the difference that Your single hand can work on my behalf in a fraction of the time. I lean on you today, Lord, for the love and power that only You can give to man. Help me to also rest in the assurance that I don’t have to come up with all the right answers or make every decision perfect. I can trust in the undeserved grace of Your favor to carry me through this day with the happiness, joy, and peace that comes from my relationship with You. Today I face new challenges but You have the already gone before me and are turning them into opportunities for Your glory to work wonders through my life. Thank you Lord for loving me enough to trust me with today! I pray all this in the mighty name of Your son, Jesus Christ. Amen

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July 2, 2012 · 10:03 AM

God’s help and perspective for you

As a parent, I am always looking for that line between telling my son how to do things and allowing him to learn on his own. I point out dangers, but he doesn’t always listen when I point them out. From my perspective, I can see things he can’t and can predict things that might happen should he continue on a path.

I think God does that too. He looks from His perspective and tries to warn us of things ahead. Sometimes he gives us the ability to learn something by watching others. At other times, we are the ones who make mistakes so that not only we can learn, but others who are watching too.

Isaiah 48:17 gives us 3 things that God says He will do for us.

1. Teach us to live right and well

As our Heavenly Father, His goal is not to give us a bunch of do’s and don’ts as most people think. His goal is that we will be able to live and to make good choices. While He has set up boundaries for us to live within, He has also given us freedom to live within those boundaries.

We learn those boundaries by knowing His Word. Joshua 1:8 says that if we will meditate on God’s Word day and night as well as obey it, we will find success in all you do. He teaches us through His Word not only how to live right, but how to live well.

2. Show us what to do

I thought for a long time this meant that He would show me my vocation. Since He is my provider and my job is the tool with which He uses to provide my resources, He is more concerned what we do for Him while we are at work. Most of us spend more hours a day with our co-workers than our families. We have the ability to forge relationships that would otherwise be impossible.

Sharing the love of Christ is more impactful and easier to do with people we have built relationships than with total strangers. I’m not saying we shouldn’t show His love to strangers because we are. We just need to be listening to Him to look for others to share His love with and to do things for. He will show you what to do.

3. Show us where to go

Many people wander this world aimlessly. Some take the path of least resistance while others seems to travel a long, difficult road. Psalm 37:23 tells us that the Lord directs the steps of the righteous. He delights in the details of their lives. He wants to show us where to go so we can be His feet to carry the Gospel to others.

In going where He wants us to go and in following the paths He has laid out for us, we will find true happiness. When we do what we want, we have a long, uphill road to travel. We don’t know the way or what lies in our path. Only God has the perspective needed to guide us on the road of life.

Are you one who is wandering aimlessly and without hope? Are you wanting to learn how to live life better? Where ever you are in that spectrum, God has the answers for you in His Word. He wants to show you how to live well, what to do and where to go. Are you listening?

Here is a prayer to help you with this today. It is provided by Michael Moak. You can follow him on Twitter @Moakster.

Dear Jesus,
Thank you for your patience with me as I fumble and falter in my constant struggle to deny myself, take up my cross, and follow You! Thank you for giving me health, strength, mental stability and the ability to be productive and to make a difference in this world.

Thank you for being my provider and for always giving me more than I deserve. So, today, I ask you to help me share my blessings with someone else. Help me to be sensitive to the voice of your Holy Spirit within my heart that is looking for the opportunity to use me to be your hands and feet to just one person that is at the edge of their rope! Show me something about your character that I need to adopt into my life today and grant me the grace to mess up a few times before I get it right.

I ask you to use my life for Your glory today, Jesus. Push me beyond my comfort zone that I might see your love in a special, new way for the first time. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.

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June 29, 2012 · 7:59 AM

Daily challenges

Have you every stopped at the end of a day and wondered where it went? You look back on it and weren’t able to accomplish what you wanted to, but at the same time, can’t explain what you did that kept you from doing it. Those days happen to each of us (some of us more than others). It can be the result of a lack of planning or a lack of execution of our tasks.

Each day only has 1440 minutes in it. That’s the amount of opportunity we have to make a difference in someone else’s life every day. There are plenty of opportunities in each of our lives to be that difference to someone else, but often we are too busy to stop and help them. We may not want to get tied down or slowed down, so we tell ourselves someone else will stop and help them.

In Romans 12:9, Paul gives us 3 things we can do daily as Christians.

1. Love others

People all around you need love. They don’t just need to be told you love them, they need to be shown love. There is no greater expression of that love than giving them some of your 1440 minutes. When you part from the path you planned for that day to help someone in need or to show them you love them, it makes a huge difference to them.

I love how the New Living Translation puts it. It says, “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.” People can tell the difference between fake and real love. Jesus showed real love. He often stopped what He was doing to spend time with people the church leaders would stay away from. Why? Because He knew they needed His love. Not a fake love, but real love. What He gave them was His time and His ear. In turn, their lives changed.

2. Hate what is wrong

Every day we are exposed to the evil of this world, but what do we do about it? On June 5, 2008, a man in New York was hit by a car while he was crossing the road. Cars slowed down to look at him as he lie there, but no one stopped and got out. People on the sidewalk watched, walked to the edge of the sidewalk, looked at him and then kept walking.

It’s easy to be angry at that, but would you or I have moved on just like the others? Every day, we see people laying in the road of life who have been hit by circumstances. Do we stop to offer help or pass by on the other side of the road. In the story of the Good Samaritan, the same thing happened. A priest and a temple assistant passed by without helping. Do not get so caught up in doing God’s work that you don’t help others because that is His work.

3. Hold on to good

Let go of the negative things in your life that weigh you down. Bad things have happened to each one of us. Those who choose to be victims, dwell on the negative experiences and allow them to dictate their future. They need someone to not look down on them because of what has happened (their fault or not). They need someone to help them back up and to encourage them. Give them something good to hold onto so they can let go of the bad.

Find the good things in life that are around you and keep your mind on them. Don’t focus on the negative. It’s easier to think negatively than positively. It is a practice that each of us can do better at. We can’t be too quick to see that bad in others. Find the good in them and build on that. If we are to win the lost, we can’t simply point out their mistakes. They will never hear the message if we do that.

Today, take time to look around you. In everything you have to do, there are others who need your help. They need you to show them the love of Christ. They need you to not only hate evil, but to do some thing about it. Then look for what is good and hold on to it. This will help you release the negativity in your life.

Here is a prayer you can pray today to help you. It is provided by Michael Moak (@Moakster on twitter) to help you accomplish these things today.

“Lord, as I begin this day let me have the wisdom to BE STILL in your presence for just five minutes so that the other 1435 minutes will have the aroma of your presence lingering over them. Allow me to have Your wisdom to make decisions that honor You and to maintain a standard of integrity, purity, and truth in all that I do. Help me to give away the love that you first gave me to someone that is desperate for it and doesn’t realize their love bank is empty. And finally, grant me favor before Your throne so that I may represent your name with excellence as well as favor before men so that I may have a platform to proclaim your glory! I ask these things in the name most powerful name of your son, Jesus Christ.” Amen.

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June 28, 2012 · 8:39 AM

Living set apart

As a Christian, I have always wanted to please God with my life. I think that is the goal of most Christians. Just like any goal, it is difficult to accomplish. We cannot seclude ourselves from the world to accomplish this goal because Scripture tells us to be in the world not of it. By being in the world, we get exposed to things that are against what we believe. We get exposed to temptations. We are pressed on every side to change who we are into conforming to the things of this world.

We have to resist that. We are called to be salt and light. We are called to be set apart, but how do we do that? How can we effectively live a life for Christ while being pressured to live otherwise? That is the daily challenge that we face as believers. We have the Spirit of God living in us to empower us to live a life worthy of the call. Do we access that power daily though? For me, it’s a struggle some days.

In Romans 12, Paul gives us some insight into what we can do to live in the world, yet set apart at the same time.

1. Be a living sacrifice

This is one of the hardest things to do. I once heard that the problem with a living sacrifice is that it keeps climbing off the altar. God has given us that free choice daily to lay down our lives, wants and desires for His. A living sacrifice means just that. Each day, I give up my agenda for His. I give up my wants for His. I give up what I desire most for what He wants.

Paul said that this living sacrifice should be devoted, consecrated and well pleasing to God. It is a form of spiritual worship that is deeper than singing songs on a Sunday in church. It is true worship when I live a life that is devoted and consecrated to what He wants me to be and do.

2. Don’t conform to this world

Daily we are pushed to conform to what others want. We are asked to go along with the flow, to be tolerant and open minded. We are told that what we believe is archaic and not in step with where the world is now. Christianity is considered outdated and should be changed to reflect our culture. That is not what God intended for us though.

If no one around you can tell that you are a Christian and that your life is different, you may have conformed to this world without even knowing. Scripture is very clear on how we are to live. We are to take up our cross daily for Christ, crucify our fleshly desires and follow after God.

3. Be transformed

We are to be changed by the entire renewal of our mind. It should have a new set of ideals and a new attitude according to Paul. He understood that to make a permanent outward change, it starts with the mind. We cannot live how God intends for us to live without having our minds changed.

We have our minds renewed daily by spending time alone with God and by reading His word. We must take that time daily to renew our mind and our spirit. We get covered with dirt and junk from being in the world day in and day out. We need that daily cleansing to keep our minds fresh for God.

Paul says if we do these three things, we will prove what is the good, perfect and acceptable will of God. We can live for Him in a world that does not know Him if we know how to. Which of these three steps can you start to work on today in order to live the life you were called to?

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June 27, 2012 · 8:32 AM

Prayer for our military

This is a guest post from Michael Moak who serves as an Associate Pastor at my church. He is providing us with an example of a powerful, contemplative prayer. You can follow him on Twitter @Moakster

Dear Heavenly Father,

I come to you this morning to invite your blessings, love, power, and presence to inhabit my home, my family, and my choices today.

However, before I continue I would like to take a moment to express the deep gratitude, humility and thankfulness that we feel for your many blessings upon this great nation.

Thank you for allowing we, the citizens of the United States of America, the privilege of living in the greatest nation on Earth. Thank you for empowering us with the knowledge and resources to build the most powerful democracy in the world and greatest military force on the face of the planet. As we celebrated Memorial Day just over a month ago we pause once again to thank you for the brave and courageous men and women that have gone before us and laid down their lives as the foundational stones that support the freedom that we now enjoy!

We thank you for the committed men and women that currently serve with faithful and tireless dedication to uphold the liberty, justice, and freedom for all that we call the “American dream”and ask you to be with them and their families today. And we thank you for the generation ahead of us that will heed the call and take up their duty to defend and serve the constitution of the United States of America!

It is those freedoms and privileges that allow us to worship in powerful religious expression. The Bible tells us in…
(Psalm 37:23 NKJV) “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.”

Therefore, I know that you have ordered my steps and the steps of every other follower of Christ across planet Earth. I ask that you would grant your people favor in the areas of government offices, school campuses, and community events. Raise up a remnant that will continue to honor and proclaim your name and bring glory to your kingdom through powerful acts of service to those who need your love the most. Help us to not forget the widows, the poor, and the homeless as these are dear to your heart. Help us to raise this generation of children to love and obey your Word so they might fulfill your will for their lives!

So, once again I invite you to help me as a father to my children, a husband to my wife, and a pastor to this youth culture to represent your name with honor, integrity, and love. May this day be full of joy and laughter. We ask all these things in the mighty name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

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