Have you ever heard someone say, “Well, I take offense to that!”?  Do they even realize what they are saying?  Most people who say it are thinking that they are the victim of someone else’s rude, insensitive or insulting remark.  However, what they are really saying is that you have power over me by how I took something you said.  Here’s why: I have options when someone makes a comment I don’t like.  One is to take offense.  But to do so, I have to “take” it as an option.  Two, I can choose to not take offense and instead overlook it, make an excuse for it or consider the source.

Too many would rather play the victim and blame the other person, but to do so is to give them power over you and dump trash on your own soul.  A better choice is to reject the offense, walk in love and shake the dust off your feet if need be.  Now that you know you have a choice, I pray you choose wisely.

“Don’t ever pray for patience!”  Have you ever had someone warn you about that?  Over the years, I’ve had many people say that they don’t want to pay for patience because God will put them in places where they need it.  You see we will often be challenged in the very areas where we need to grow the most.

I’ve had this happen already this year because of my one word for 2015.  My word is focus, and already I’ve had more things happen to attack my focus than I imagined.  Why should I be surprised?  I know someone else who’s word was “healthy” and they’ve had things go wrong in their health since choosing it.

Here’s my encouragement: I don’t know what word you may have chosen for 2015, but don’t be surprised if it seems that you’re attacked in that very area.  So, don’t give up, fight back, stay encouraged, pray about it, talk with others and win in that area anyway.

I’m more determined to win than the enemy is to defeat me, and greater is He that is in you, and me than he that is in the world!

The reaction to last Sunday’s message was surprising to me.  After each service, the front was filled with people coming down for prayer with our prayer partners.  Also, I had people coming to me saying, “Your message had a profound impact on my life, I am going to be making some changes as a result.”  An email I received this week added, “I couldn’t write fast enough for all the things you were saying that I needed to hear.”  Plus, Facebook had people announcing lifestyle changes they were making because of the sermon.

This got me thinking, why all this stir?  I honestly didn’t think it was going to have that huge of an impact ahead of time.  It just shows me how God knows what He’s doing and uses us in spite of ourselves.

Here’s what I want to share today: don’t let anything keep you back from what you want most in your life, especially for what you could have now.  Too many settle for what they can experience today over what God has dreamed for their lives tomorrow.

You are better than that!  You are a child of God, manufactured in His image to fulfill a destiny that is beyond your own ability.  He longs to show forth His power in your weakness and demonstrate His wisdom in your inadequacy.

Don’t you dare settle for less than what God has for you today, tomorrow or ever!  Get a mirror and look into it and confess, “I am well able to start a new habit today that will improve my physical, mental, relational or spiritual growth.  I will not allow the negative talk of the naysayers discourage or distract me from my goal.  I will accomplish all God wants me to accomplish in the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Friend, that is who you are and I believe you are going to win this FIGHT!

FIGHT part 2 is this weekend with the focus on fighting for truth – invite someone!

Why is it that when the pressure is on, we notice that some people are reacting to it.  Others are not, they just keep on going, seemingly unaffected by the situation.  Here’s the difference, it’s not the pressure that’s really the issue.  It’s what we do with it.

I like to say it like this; you don’t really know what’s in a tube of toothpaste until you apply the pressure.  People are like toothpaste, don’t you think?

(see James 1:2-3)

Why do people get funny when it comes to discussing their money?

Talk about marriage and people are anxious to hear.

Talk about faith and people are willing to grow.

Talk about overcoming and people are running to listen.

BUT, talk about money – and some people start looking for reasons to not make it to church.  Some even quit attending a church when they are talking about money.  They don’t always tell you that it’s the reason.  Then, when the next church starts talking about money (the nerve), they leave it and keep repeating the cycle.  Why is that?  What is the problem?

Here’s a few thoughts:

• These people would not like to listen to Jesus teach, because He taught about money and finances a lot!  He talked about it more than heaven, hell, healing, deliverance, or just about anything else.  It’s like He knew it was a sore spot!
• All of us are selfish by nature and want to keep what we think is ours – ours.  We want to do with our money what we wish and don’t want to feel guilty about that.
• We don’t know that God owns it all and we are just managers.  (See Jesus teachings on the shrewd manager)
• We don’t understand how rich we are.  (visit www.GlobalRichList.com to see how rich you really are)
• Some of us run from the very thing that could help us (like the rich young ruler Matt. 19).

The day you and I find out how rich and blessed we are is a great day, because we can learn how to be a greater blessing to others.  Don’t allow yourself to run from a message that can help you be good at being rich, instead run to it and become all God wants you to be.

Here’s just one promise for putting this into practice:  “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”  (2 Corinthians 9:11)

Let’s bring about more thanksgiving to God!

What is going on when you pray?  Have you ever wondered if anyone is listening or cares?  Sometimes it can feel like your prayers are being heard and other times it can seem like God is helping someone else.  Ever feel that way?

First of all, I would like to clarify that God does answer prayer, does care about each and every one of us and enjoys it when we pray.  (See 1 John 5:14-15; 1 Pet 5:7; Mt 11:28)  Second of all, prayer does make a difference.  Clinical studies have been done and found that people who are prayed for go through surgery more successfully, and have a better recovery than people who don’t have prayer.  I’ve seen this just from the way God answers prayer requests that are turned in on the weekend services.

To help those of you who struggle with what is going on behind the scenes when you pray, I have four options that might be happening.  God may be saying…

• NO – now that’s not an answer we like, but it’s an option, because God knows what’s best, and we need to trust Him.  Your request could simply be off-base.
• SLOW – the timing may not right for what you’re asking right now, so don’t get impatient.  Trust that God is working even when you don’t have evidence.
• GROW – again, the request may be okay, but there needs to be some growth in you before God brings it into your life.  If you were praying for the right spouse, but you are not the right spouse material yet, then grow in the meantime.
• GO – this is the answer we like best.  It’s when we are ready, circumstances around us are ready, and God is ready to bring it about.

Knowing that there are more answers than just “yes” and “no” helps me to analyze my situation and see if I need to do some adjusting.  I hope this helps you.

P.S.  Be sure to pray over our services this weekend when Phil Stacey from American Idol will be our guest.  It’s also part 2 of the Frames series and somebody must be praying really hard already, because last weekend was powerful.  Let’s believe for even greater anointing and results this weekend!

When I was a baby, I was pretty dependent upon the people around me to eat.  I had people that fixed bottles, mushy cereal, and ultimately real food (love this!).  However, the day came that the people around me expected me to start putting my own spoon in my mouth.  Then, they even thought I should pour my own cereal into a bowl and add the milk myself (the nerve!).

Why is it that this is a normal expectation of us, yet when it comes to other areas, we still want people to feed and care for us?  Like for example, people come to church for the pastor to spoon-feed them the Bible or a spiritual truth that they can digest for the week.  Many people never give thought to feeding themselves.

Here’s the problem, in any area of life if you are to get stronger, more mature and achieve greater things, then you will have to be a self-feeder.  I heard a saying that the person who doesn’t read is no better than the person who can’t.  Think about that.  The illiterate person is at no disadvantage from the person who chooses not to read.  To grow and be healthy, we have to take in nourishment for our bodies.  The same thing applies to our mind and spirit.  Paul scolded some believers because they still acted like babies in 1 Cor. 3:1-3.

What are some ways that you can grow and feed yourself this week?  How about reading the Bible online (we send it out each day via email), get a good book and load it on your phone and other devices so it is always with you, or do an audible book that you can listen and learn while driving or doing other tasks?  My family fully expects me to feed myself, and it’s not just about food.  Every leader is a learner and every growing person is intentional about it.

Well, today I get to eat meat again!  I’m ending my fast of meat that I started at the first of this year.  Here’s some lessons I have learned:

• I miss meat in my diet, but I didn’t die without it.
• Every time I got hunger or empty feelings I thought about what this was for and it helped me stay focused.
• My heart was open to hearing from God and was more aware of Him over these past three weeks.
• It has given me a great start to a New Year where I am hungry for His presence in my life.
• There are things I need to delete or take less time for in my life to make time for what’s more important.

This is why fasting and spiritual growth activities are important in our lives.  There’s just nothing like a spiritual retreat (Discipleship Walk), fasting, or spiritual growth campaigns (40 Days of Purpose) to ignite our lives to burn brighter.

What lessons have your learned in times of fasting, prayer or spiritual retreat?  If you are struggling for an answer, it may be time to do it.

Don’t you wish life had a refresh button?  I love how you can hit the refresh button on your browser and everything on the page gets reloaded and updated.

As we begin a New Year, have you ever thought of making a new you?  Over the next few weeks as a church we’ll examine renewing our lives.  Each week we’ll discuss a portion of Scripture that addresses helping us to refresh our lives.

Here’s the definition of renew according to Merriam-Webster:

re·new verb \ri-ˈnü, -ˈnyü\

: to make (something) new, fresh, or strong again

: to make (a promise, vow, etc.) again

I hope you can join us for the next four weeks of RENEW and allow God to make you new, fresh or strong again.  He CAN renew, refresh and restore us.  Pray that God will use this series your life personally and in our church corporately for His glory!

Do you find that there’s a gap between wanting to make advancement and actually seeing progress?  Especially at this time of year, we determine to lose weight, get in shape, take classes, or accomplish a project, but six months from now will there be any change?  How many years now have you been frustrated by your own lack of progress?  What can make this year different from all the others?

For me, there has to be a combination of things to get me going and keep me going toward my desired destination.  First of all, I have to have a resolve to really do it.  It can’t just be one of these, “It sure would be nice to be in better shape.”  It’s got to be, “I will not tolerate this anymore, I must change!”

Second, I’ve got to have a goal in mind of where I want to be.  “I will lose one inch in my waist in 60 days.”  That’s a clear goal that gives me something to aim at and be inspired to reach.

Third, I need some steps to be able to put my desire into action.  The question I ask, “What should be my first step toward my intended destination?”

Here’s some things you might want to consider to help you reach spiritual goals:

• Sign up on Crossroads for Scripture to be delivered each day electronically
• Participate in our 21 day fast by giving up something in surrender to God
• Come to our one hour Night of Prayer on Jan 8 from 7-8 p.m.
• Register for a Crossroads University class this weekend (classes start soon)
• Join a Lifegroup if you haven’t already to do life with others in 2014
• Determine to be in weekend worship unless on vacation or sick
• Get baptized in water (next baptism is in 2 weeks!)

Those are just a few next steps that can take you to a better place spiritually in 2014, than you were in 2013.  What step do you need to take?