S-Scripture -  Matthew 12:36-37

“But I tell you that men will have to give an account on the day of judgement for every careless word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted and by your words you will be condemned.”

O- Observation- Jesus is teaching about the power of the words we speak.  Reminding us that our words have the power to bind us or set us free.  We must be very aware of the words we use in our lives.

A- Application-  Each word spoken from our lips carries a potential of positive or negative power.  There will be a day when each word spoken will be judged and so I want to make every effort to ensure the words I use will be words that carry encouraging, positive, healthy power rather than negative, discouraging illness.  I have the choice each day to be aware of this reality and must be careful to watch the words I use each day.

P-Pray-  Lord I pray that the words I speak would be words of life rather than death.  I pray as I discipline myself in this area of my life to be a “word watcher” that it will become a positive habit and therefore the words I speak will be life giving rather than life killing.  Help me to be more like you Lord Jesus in my choice of words.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Well this scripture is something I have always known about, but there have been times when I could have been softer with my words.  Truth is, every word spoken is judged, so I better be not only aware of this but make some big changes in how my words bring life.

How about you?  Does this change how you speak to others?  Does it make you think twice about saying the first thing that comes to your mind, especially when you think you’re right?  Any thoughts, let me hear.

Dave

S- Scripture-  Matthew 9:12-13

^{On hearing this, Jesus said, It’ is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  But go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice. ‘For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”}

Matt Redman is one of the best songwriters in the Christian Music Industry today. He wrote songs like “The Heart Of Worship” which is one of the best songs ever written, in my opinion. It’s a heartfelt prayer of a true worshiper!

As a worship leader, I find joy in serving the Lord through singing and playing my guitar on a Sunday morning. I feel that God is impressing in our hearts to seek after Him and know Him more intimately. I love the fact that God can move in our midst during corporate worship and speak to us as His Church or individually.

Last Sunday was another great service at Liberty. We started off with Matt Redman’s song “Holy Moment” what an appropriate song to start with. God is inviting us to come to Him and run to Him because he knows everything about us and He is our Creator.

Think about Moses when he had an encounter with the angel of the LORD . . . . and then God speaks to him through the flames of fire. For me, that was Moses’ holy moment with God because He called him . . . and Moses responded (Exodus 3:4). God gave him specific instructions that is beyond comprehension. But Moses puts his trust in God and obeys Him. That was just icing from the cake (read the whole chapter Exodus 3).

Peter, had his holy moment with God, too, when Jesus asked him, “Who do you say I am?” and Peter answered, “You are the Christ of God”. (Luke 9:18-20 . . . . also read vv. 28-36) Peter, James and John had an amazing experience when they had a glimpse of the Gloriousness of this Man Jesus that they’ve been following for a while. That was a holy moment . . . . Wow!

What about Paul? Acts 8:3 says, Paul was making his way to destroy the church. He would go from door to door to drag men and women to jail. It’s probable that he is one of the meanest men in town at the time. But God can turn people’s lives around and it doesn’t matter what kind of background you come from. God can get your attention towards Him! In Acts 9:1-19 Paul is doing all in his might to destroy and kill the Lord’s disciples and those who belonged to the Way. But this resurrected Jesus shows up as Paul was on his way to Damascus . . . But the King of Glory, Himself, appears to him and he was never the same after that “holy moment”.

Today, God is still inviting people to come and have a holy moment with Him regardless of the circumstances we’re in . . .

I hope this video clip will bless you ….. Holy Moment by: Matt Redman

junn

Day 2 - April 2, 2010

S- Scripture- Matthew 4:4-10 ⁴Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ “ ⁵Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ” ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ “ ⁷Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ “ ⁸Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” ¹⁰Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

O- Observation-  During the temptation of Jesus, the devil tempted Christ three times trying to challenge Christ’s authority.  Each temptation Jesus stated, “It is written” (or something close to it) quoting the scriptures and proving the authority He had in the Word.  The devil used the Word of God to pervert and tempt Christ, but Christ uses the Word as it’s intended.

A- Application-  Knowing a little bit of scripture can sometimes be a danger, if used for your own purposes without the deeper understanding in the Word of God.  Gaining insight from scripture and not distorting the meaning of what is written will provide true wisdom.  I must be aware of God’s Word and not pervert it’s intention.  Also, I must be aware of those who distort it, and try to use it for their own purposes or gain.  I must permit God’s Word to be WRITTEN ON MY HEART.

P- Pray-  God, I pray that your Word would be imprinted on my heart each day as I study your inspired Word.  I ask for continued insight and a holy respect for the power of the Word. Teach me to learn and as I learn and gain not only understanding but wisdom, may I teach others what I have gained from these gems of truth in your scripture.

In Jesus name, Amen

Anything that you would like to add?  Comments, let’s hear it.

Dave

Welcome to Day 1 of the 90-Day New Testament Challenge.  This is an exciting journey and we look forward to hearing your thoughts and the wisdom God is imparting to you!

Here’s my first journal entry:

April 1/10,  Matthew 3:8, “Repentant Fruit”

S- Scripture-  Matthew 3:8  ”Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” (NIV)

O-Observation-  The evidence of true repentance is the bearing of good fruit. (simple but true)

A- Application-  Good fruit in my life will help me to know that I am on the right path.  I must always be aware of the type of fruit I am bearing.  If there is no fruit coming from my life than I am slipping into sin.  It is an easy road to slip into if I am not aware of this daily,  Be very aware!

P- God help me to live a life filled with good fruit.  May I be a person that lives out what I believe and be consistent to follow through daily.  Help me Lord to be a person of integrity and produce fruit in my life.

I will continue to listen to the wisdom of God through this scripture and trust God will continue to challenge me and provide new insight through His word.

I’d love to hear what scripture God has given you today, and any wisdom He has imparted to you.

Are you up for the challenge?

Let me know how Day 1 was for you?

Dave

Last week we spent a few days visiting my sister and her family in Atlanta, GA and while there I came across this quote from Jerry Falwell, Jr. (Jerry’s son… now president of Liberty University):  “If we all did as Jesus did when he helped the poor, we wouldn’t need the government”.

Now I recognize that this quote was taken from a bigger debate about the health care debacle in the U.S. - but the statement has been going through my head like a train wreck all week.   I’m not anti-government - in fact many of my closest friends work for the government - but I wonder if we sometimes rely to heavily on the government and it gives the church license to be lazy?   This is probably a really significant question for Canadians - as we are used to lots of socialized government programs.

What do you think?  Could the church be as effective at caring for the poor as the government?  And if the answer is yes - what is stopping us from doing more now to care for the vulnerable and the poor?

My suspicion is that talking about it - is much easier than actually doing something about it….

Let me know your thoughts.

jess

To grow and mature in Christ is God’s plan for every person and every Christian that lives. So the question is why are so many of us standing still in our Christian walk, not that we are necessarily doing ‘bad things’ but we are just not excelling in Christ like we should be.

Personally I am a checklist, goal oriented person so here is my growing in Christ personal checklist. (Now, I am not saying that this is a magic list that has the power to save you or get you into heaven. Jesus’ is one and only way to eternal life and true growth!)

Alex’s checklist for growth and maturity in Christ (in no specific order)

1) Accountability – Not a word you hear in everyday life, but the first on my list. This simply means find a friend that shares your desire to live for God and meet or talk once a week about life and what God is doing in your life. How God is challenging you, teaching you or loving you. Take time to pray with each other. This is guaranteed to help you grow in God and in your intimacy with your friend.

2) Read Christian Books & The Bible – I love this quote, ‘In five years, you will be the same person you are today expect for the books you read and the people you meet’. I believe that when you read godly material you begin to focus on godly things and the opposite is true as well. Books I recommend – Uprising, by Erwin McManus, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, The Power of Simple Prayer, by Joyce Meyers, The Total Money Makeover, by Dave Ramsey, Your God is too Safe, by Mark Buchannan and Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster. There are a lot more but those are just a couple that I think can help.

3) Serve at Your Local Church – I know, I know your thinking, ‘Ok here we go! The real reason why you’re writing this blog. You want people to help out at your church.’ Yes, I do but that is not why I am writing this. The truth is when you get involve in your church your are serving God and giving back to Him and others. You will find that when you serve at your local church you become blessed by helping other and by being used by God in others lives.

4) Personal Prayer (talking) Time – If you desire to grow any relationship you must spend time with that person. God desires to have a relationship with you so we must spend time (quality time) with Him. It is as simple as taking a walk with him or just having a coffee in the morning and talk to him about life.

5) Listen to Worship Music – Now this is not about trying to brainwash you by putting some music or a message on by simple repetition. Worship is about getting our gaze off our situation or us and focusing on the Creator of heaven and earth. Begin to listen to worship music each day and you will find yourselves sing God’s praises in the grocery store, your workplace and in that great parking lot we call the Gardener Expressway! Here are some Musicians I recommend – Israel Houghton, Hillsongs United, Jeff Deyo, Starfield, Fred Hammond

Growth is not by accident but it must be on purpose. No matter what you look at if you desire to grow you must be intentional. The same is true for your spiritual growth, the question is are you going to be intentional or just hope that one day you will ‘zap’ become the man or women of God you desire. Lets be a people that intentionally seek God and maturity in Him.

Alex

Everyday around 4pm I listen for someone to walk in through our door – whether it’s my husband coming home from work or my boys arriving from school. Knowing that everyone’s home, “safe and sound”, always gives me a sense of peace. This week I heard a disturbing news about 2 students (from the same school where one of my sons go) being involved in a stabbing incident. I wonder what drives a 13 or 14 year old to such violence. And as a mother, I realize that everyday we have more and more reason to be prayerful over our children. Not just for our own but for kids, in general, living in a world we live in today. Recently, I was reading about Eunice and Lois – mother and grandmother of Timothy who was a close friend and helper to the apostle Paul. These women, as mentioned by Paul, were women of faith and have clearly passed on their faith to Timothy (2 Timothy 1:5), who became a man of God. This passage reminded me of the importance of living our faith everyday and teaching our children while they are young - about God, about the Scriptures and about how to live. I believe Eunice and Lois were good influencers and they lived in such a way so that everyone can see their faith. I believe we can, too.

tet

If you need a good laugh, take a look at this!

Dave

The Life Journals are ready!

I must admit that I have not yet read the entire New Testament so I’m looking forward to this upcoming challenge, and praying it will be one that my husband and I can face together.  This Sunday will be the official launch of the 90-Day Challenge and I am excited… it will be great to engage with our church community in reading and learning from the Word together.

I love the aspect of writing in a journal because when I first started attending Liberty and got connected with their Young Adults Ministry we wrote in a group journal all the time.  Everyone would give their “praise” and “prayer” reports whenever we got together, so we could be praying for one another and actually have records of when God worked in our lives.  It is so easy day-by-day to miss the miracles that the Lord performs in our lives, but writing in a journal is an easy way to have a record His amazing works.  Not everything happens right when we expect it, but if it is Gods will it always happens at the right time - His time!

Just thinking back to my first few years at Liberty I can easily recall many of the prayers that we wrote in our journal.  I also remember how often we gave Praise to the Lord for bringing those prayers to pass. God is so great and sometimes we can be so busy with life that we miss His miraculous work.

I’m praying that my Life Journal will become just that… a “Life Journal” and that my journaling will not end once the 90-Day Challenge is over.

I’m up for the challenge that will transform my life.  Are you?
Nina