I’ve enjoyed preaching this series at E3 and Epic where we’re learning what it means to truly act upon the faith that we profess to believe, where we learn how to believe God for what seems to be impossible and how we can share our faith in real effective ways with our friends. Continue Reading…
Activate…
Activate…
Everyone seems to be posting on Facebook these days, and I’ve got to be honest, I only believe about half of it, but it’s fun. Most people are passionate about telling the whole world about the good things that are happening to them. Continue Reading…
Fuel for Life…Accelerate
When it comes to our lives, many of us aren’t taking life out of first gear. Instead of accelerating in the power of God that’s been made available through the Holy Spirit, we can grown dependent upon our own will power and ability attempting to play it safe. But all we’re really doing is limiting ourselves in life because of an ignorance or a fear of the Holy Spirit’s purpose in our lives.
I think we can all agree that everyone of us in here have desires, goals, and aspirations in our hearts that we really want to see come to pass. We dream about arriving at new destinations in life, but so many times, we find ourselves settling for something less than God’s very best because we feel weary, discouraged, and cruising in 1st gear.
In podcast, we’re going to talk about how we can accelerate to new places of blessing through the power of the Holy Spirit who wants to empower us not enslave us.
It is the Holy Spirit that can help us walk in a power greater than that of our own. Jesus promised He would send the Holy Spirit to help us and empower us, but sometimes we neglect this promised One.
In John 14:16 Jesus said that another counselor, another guide, was coming in His place. Now that work ‘another’ didn’t mean completely different. It means one just like the first. In other words, Jesus was saying, I’m sending one just like me that will serve as a personal counselor to each and everyone of you! In other words, He can be our own personal life coach.
So How can we embrace the Holy Spirit on a whole new level?
1. Put all preconceived ideas to the test of scripture.
Exegesis: start with scripture
Eisegesis: start with preconceived idea
1 Thessalonians 5 – quench not the spirit…despise not prophecy.
2. Put all fears to death.
Fear puts us in first gear.
Fear creates an environment where God is not in control.
Don’t allow fear to place you in a state of denial or defense.
Fear encourages us to defend preconceived ideas and beliefs.
Luke 11:13 (NIV) If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
4. Put your reputation on the line.
Are we more concerned about others or God? What are they going to think about me?
WE are not called to compare ourselves to the world. We are called to compare ourselves to scripture.
Why would we not want ALL of what God is giving to us?
5. Put your relationship with the Holy Spirit at the top of life’s priority list.
Develop it.
Pursue Him every morning.
Learn to recognize his promptings. (John 10:4)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Love Triangle pt 3 – Holy or Lowly?
Living in today’s secular culture where ‘anything’ goes when it comes to our sexuality, God is calling out to a new generation that is willing to step up and embrace what it means to live a HOLY life instead of the LOWLY life that has been all too often approved by our world.
We can respond to temptation and Win. I shared this message at E3 and Epic, our student ministry and college ministry services and received a lot of positive feedback.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 (NCV) God wants you to be holy and to stay away from sexual sins.4 He wants each of you to learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable.5 Don’t use your body for sexual sin like the people who do not know God.
So in other words, Holiness is possible! Well Josh, come on, do you really believe that?! YES!!! I completely believe that because God wouldn’t ask anything of us that wasn’t completely possible! The best part is that He wants to help us and use others to help us live our BEST life!
To be holy means – dedicated or devoted to the service of God. When we think of that sometimes we are intimidated. Me…holy? No way! But notice that God isn’t asking for perfection. He’s asking for purity and passion! He’s simply looking for someone that is committed to living the life!
Here’s what I think will help to overcoming sexual temptation:
1. Confess
Confess what? Confess that you have issues…Confess that you’ve done wrong. Who should you confess it to? Everyone. Just kidding! haha. some of your eyes got this big!
Nah…first you need to confess it all to God. Quit acting like He doesn’t know already. He knows and he cares. He wants to help. This is what David said when he finally confessed his issues, his sin, his lowly life…
Psalm 32:5 (NLT) Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
Wow! Talk about freedom! Living free from guilt and shame is what we all desire! But here is what a lot of Christians want to do…make excuses, rationalize, compare our level of morality to the rest of the World instead of to the Word.
2. Confide
You’ve got to let someone know the struggles you are facing when it comes to sexual sin. What?! I could never let anyone else know Pastor Josh! The only person that needs to know is God! WRONG!!!
I’m definitely not telling you to run out and post on your twitter, myspace, and facebook accounts that you are addicted to porn or you can’t stop having sex with your boyfriend, but what I am saying is that God wants us to confide not only in Him, but in another Christian that is living the life.
But be sure they meet the following requirements:
- They are not a member of the opposite sex. (sister, I’ve been having lustful thoughts, can we pray, with the lights out…wrong answer!)
- They must be strong in the areas where you are weak.
- They must make you feel uncomfortable in your sin.
- They must be honest with you about what your sin will do to you and others.
- They must be bold to pray with you and for you.
Thank God for people in whom you can confide! We need others!
Ecc. 4:9-10 (NLT) Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.
3. Construct
Construct what? A game plan! Not everyone’s game plan is going to look the same. For you it may be one thing and for another it may be something else!
You may need to Get a custom tailored plan. – what does your unique situation look like?
Check this out:
1 Corinthians 10:13 (NCV) The only temptation that has come to you is that which everyone has. But you can trust God, who will not permit you to be tempted more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, he will also give you a way to escape so that you will be able to stand it.
Whoa! This changes everything! In other words, everyone has been tempted, and I can trust God…Trust God to do what Josh?
Trust God to show you how to get out of the situation! God will Show, you must Go.
That’s right. It’s up to you and me to get the heck out of the tempting situation.
What’s your tempting situation? How are you going to get out of it? Your response will determine whether or not you live the “LOWLY” life or the “HOLY” life!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Love Triangle pt 2
Understanding the unique way the creator has ‘wired’ the opposite sex is pretty important if we are going to truly respond with the Love of God to others and live in purity and power.
Let’s face it, outside our need for food, water, and our love for pictures of baby polar bears, guys and girls are completely different. Me and my friends NEVER sat around on our bed in our PJ’s painting each other’s toe nails and talking about our crushes on the chicks in school. We were too busy lighting our own farts and blowing up ant beds with firecrackers.
Guys are girls are completely different and we’ve been made that way on purpose by our creator God, but instead of competing one another, we are to complete one another.
When it comes to the subject of sex, guys and girls are just as different, but our failure to understand the opposite sex as well as our own weaknesses, we can destroy one another. That’s a by-product from the fall of man.
In God’s original design, man and woman were free to:
- bond inside a marriage relationship
- help one another instead of taking advantage of one another.
- live without shame and regret
- live without insecurity
- live close to God and each other.
Sin destroys and complicates everything with the pain that it brings:
Genesis 3:6-7 (NLT) The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
Affect guys: For Adam, his inborn appreciation for beauty was twisted which became lust and sexual obsession.
Affects girls: Eve she stopped finding her significance and sense of self worth in God, and Now she was looking to Adam for a sense of belonging instead of seeing her value from God. That’s why so many girls look to guys for love and affirmation.
So as you live with a great sense of purpose try doing these things:
- Respect yourself and the opposite sex.
Proverbs 4:23 (NCV) Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.
- Reflect on culture’s affect on how you treat yourself and the opposite sex.
Ask yourself – “Am I respecting myself?” – “ Am I behaving in ways that are not honoring God and living in a holy way?”
John 13:34-35 (MSG) “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”
- Reject the temptation to control and take advantage of others.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-6 (CEV) 3 God wants you to be holy, so don’t be immoral in matters of sex. 4 Respect and honor your wife. 5 Don’t be a slave of your desires or live like people who don’t know God. 6 You must not cheat any of the Lord’s followers in matters of sex.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
All Access 2010
This week, the creative team and I from our church made the trip over to “The Boot”, also known as Louisiana to attend All Access2010 presented by the Association of Related Churches.
All I can say is “Wow!” This is our 3rd day and all I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing from some of the best communicators in the church world as well as hearing United again!
Here are a few of the thoughts from the first evening with speakers, John Maxwell and Pastor Brian Houston.
Dr. Maxwell talked about how many leaders communicate but few really connect. Here are a few of the points he made:
Connecting is all about identifying with others and relating to them
in such a way that causes you to increase your influence with them.
1. Connecting is all about others.
In other words, you don’t have to say that it’s lonely at the top because a connecting leader doesn’t stay at the top, he/she goes to the people. That requires maturity because immaturity in the heart doesn’t see the need to do something for others only self.
It’s really not about you as the leader, because leadership is servanthood. It’s about towels not titles. Only the secure can stoop and serve.
2. Connecting requires energy.
John talked about the differences between Dating and Marriage: dating requires more work to serve the other and marriage changes many to desire to be served rather than to serve.
Very inconvenient and energy zapping for Jesus to connect with us.
3. Connectors find common ground.
Connecting leaders go to where the people are, know what the people know, and find common ground with them.
“Great connectors find Common ground and lift others to higher ground.” – John Maxwell
And if that wasn’t enough, Pastor Brian Houston came right up and shared an incredible message about the importance of prayer. He talked about how Elijah had a flawed nature like us but learned to cry out to God with passion! His passionate prayer caused extraordinary things to happen in an ordinary life.
Here are a few of my notes:
- Prayer is a God encounter. Prayer is an acknowledgment of complete dependence upon God!
- Spice up your prayer life and the prayer life of your church.
- Praise is one of the great dimensions of prayer.
- Stillness is a key component to prayer. Ps 46:10
- Ask – 1 John 5:14-15
- Cry out to God – never stop believing God and asking for a fresh touch and move of the Holy Spirit.
- Meditate – thinking and going over
- There is no boring aspect to prayer.
- Pray in the Spirit – Jude 1:20
- 2 Chronicles 1:10 – ask for wisdom and knowledge in order to lead. -
- Prayers need to become bigger than you!
Over the next few days I’ll share about Day 2 and 3. Your thoughts are welcome!
Josh
