You Are Fully Loaded

July 8, 2022

Let me tell you something … You are like an expensive sports car – you come fully loaded. 

When God created you, He put in you everything you would need to live a rich meaningful life.  He put in you everything you need to fulfill His plan for your life. 

God is a strategic God.  He’s not random.  He didn’t just create you and say, “Hmmm.  Let’s just see what happens.  Let’s see what he can do.” 

No, God is precise.  He’s intentional.  Down to the smallest detail.  And when He laid out a plan for your life, He studied it carefully.  He thought about what you would need, and what it would take to get you there.  And then He matched you with your world.  

He gave you the talent you would need, the creativity, the strength.  You’re the right size, and you have the right looks, the right personality, and the right family.  You didn’t get shortchanged.  You are completely equipped for the race that’s been designed for you. 

Don’t say: “If I had a better personality, I could do something great … If I was more outgoing … If I came from a different family … If I weren’t so small.” 

Let me tell you something: If you needed to be taller, God would have made you taller.  If you needed a different personality, He would have given you a different personality.  If you needed to be a different nationality, you would be different nationality.  God doesn’t make mistakes.  You’re not faulty.  You’re not missing anything.  You have been fearfully and wonderfully made. 


Winning Against Weariness

June 3, 2022
 
Weariness may be knocking on your door, but don’t open up that door. Don’t verbalize it. Don’t give it life by speaking it and thinking it. Instead …
Take hold of God’s strength.
Today you may be dealing with battle fatigue. It’s taking longer than you thought. You’re tired of fighting, and you don’t think you can go on.
If that’s you, Jesus wants to say these words directly to you today. He says, “Come to Me when you’re weary, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
 
You don’t have to do it on your own.
The Bible says, “If you wait upon the Lord, He will renew your strength. You will mount up with wings like an eagle. You will run and not be weary, you will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
 
To “wait upon the Lord” doesn’t mean to sit back passively, lay around feeling helpless, saying, “Okay, God, I give up. I quit.”

Those who “wait upon the Lord” are described in one version as “those who look for God’s goodness, who expect God’s favor, who long for God’s blessing.”  Waiting is supposed to be active. Take hold of God’s strength. Say: “Lord, thank You that You’re turning this situation around. Thank You that You’re bigger than my problems. Thank You that You’re stronger than my cancer.”

Listen to me! It starts in your mind. You won’t soar like an eagle if you’re negative in your thinking. You won’t run and not be weary if you’re focused on your problems and thinking how impossible it is. What causes your strength to be renewed is when you live in expectation. It’s when you know God is in control and God is at work in your life.
 


Don’t Be Discouraged by the Dark

May 6, 2022

The dark doesn’t mean that nothing is happening.  The dark doesn’t mean that God is not working, that He didn’t hear your prayer. 

Your thoughts will tell you, You would have seen something by now … You would start to feel a little better … One of those companies would have called you back … That addiction wouldn’t be this strong.

But the Bible says, “The moment you pray, the tide of the battle turns.”  (Psalm 56:9) 

You can’t see it, but when you prayed, you left the p.m., and you came into the a.m.  It’s a new day.  You may not see any sign of it – that’s okay, the sun is on its way up.  You can’t stop the sun from rising, and you can’t stop God from keeping His promises. 

Don’t give up.  Don’t get discouraged.  The moment you began to pray, the tide of the battle began to turn.



God is on Your Side

April 20, 2022

You have Almighty God on your side. 

David was a teenager when he faced down Goliath.  When Goliath saw how small David was, he began to laugh.  He said, “Am I dog that you come at me with a stick?”  He was saying, “Is that the best you’ve got?” 

David looked at Goliath and said, in effect, “I may be small, but I’m stronger than I look.  I may be young, but I’m more experienced than I look.  I may be skinny, but I’m more powerful than I look.”

David took his slingshot and, with one stone, brought down Goliath. 

You may have some Goliaths telling you what you can’t so:

  • “You’re not strong enough to break that addiction.”
  • “You can’t beat that sickness.”
  • “You’ll never accomplish that dream.”
  • “You’re not big enough!”

You have to do like David, and tell Goliath, “I may look small, but I’m stronger than you think.  You haven’t seen the best of me.  You look at me and you think I’m just a small David or a weak Gideon.  But you’re looking at a Mighty Hero.” 

I don’t know who needs to hear this today, but hear me when I say this … That problem is not going to defeat you.  That trouble is not going to define you.  That loss is not how your story ends.  You are going to discover things in you that you didn’t know you had. 

I believe even now strength is rising up in you.  Dreams are coming back to life.  You’re about to see God do things that you couldn’t do, turn situations around that looked permanent, and open doors that person can shut. 



Your Place is Waiting

April 1, 2022
Jesus loves you. That’s not a cliché; that is a reality. Jesus is crazy in love with you. I can never put into words how much He loves you.
And He wants you to have a place … a place with Him forever in heaven. Now – now that He has removed your sin and burned it away on the cross – Jesus can say, “Done! It’s a done deal. You have a home waiting for you in heaven.”
Let me ask you this question: What’s the difference between Christianity and every other religion? The answer: Religion is spelled, D-O. Do! Do this, do that, and maybe you’ll do enough to get into heaven. But Christianity is spelled, D-O-N-E. Done! The Bible says that Jesus has already done everything that’s needed to get you into heaven.
You say, “Jeff, I must have to do something.” No! It’s taken care of. It’s done. Just accept it and respond with a grateful heart. You can’t beg, bargain, or bribe your way into heaven. You just accept it.
The Bible marvels at this: “Saving us was all His idea, and all His work. All we do is trust Him enough to let Him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish!” (Ephesians 2:8)
You say, “But, Jeff, I still worry … I worry what’s going to happen when I die… Will I be okay? Will God let me into heaven?” Friend, you don’t have to worry! The Bible says, “Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13) Anyone – that includes you! That includes me! Anyone!
You don’t have to be afraid of death any longer. I can honestly say, I’m not afraid of death. I’m afraid of pain, but not afraid of death. Death is just a transfer and I know where I’m going. A lot of my friends and family are going to be there waiting for me. And, right away, I’m going to run over to Jesus and finally look deep into His eyes and see Him smile. I’m not afraid! I’m not afraid because Jesus said, “Don’t worry. I got this for you. It’s a done deal. Your place is waiting.”


Prayer of Forgiveness

March 4, 2022
 
Father, I know without a doubt that there are people right here now who are suffering under an immense load of guilt and shame and regret. For some people it’s been eating away at them for years. Let this be the day of their release. Let this be the day of their relief … relief that comes with Your forgiveness.
Now I want to invite you to pray the steps for forgiveness. I want you to say something like this in your mind – just say it to God, in your mind …
Dear God, You know everything about me. You know everything I’m ashamed of. You know my regrets, my mistakes, my habits.
Today, I admit that I need Your forgiveness. I not only admit it, I accept responsibility for it. I’m not going to blame anybody else in my life. I’m not going to make excuses. I’m going to own up to it.
Lord Jesus, thank You for what You did on the cross – for Your body being broken and Your blood being shed – for the cross, where Your blood ran red, and my sins washed white. Thank You for saying, “Father, forgive them.” I do accept Your gift of forgiveness. Please, Lord, help me feel forgiven.
If you sincerely prayed that prayer, then I want to say to you … In the Name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.


Get Off Your High Horse

February 11, 2022
 
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”  (Matthew 7:1)
What’s the context?
This is actually part of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount. And, in this section, He’s actually teaching us not to act like hypocrites. He says, “Don’t be a show-off. Don’t act you’re better than other people. Don’t think you can get up on your high horse, and look down on everyone else, and judge them.”
And that’s when Jesus says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2)
 
But wait. Hold on! Slow down for a minute. Later on in the same chapter, Jesus says, “Be on your guard! Watch out for false prophets.” So, wait. If I’m going to deem someone a false prophet, what do I have to make? A judgement!
 
So, what I want to show you is that clearly Jesus was not telling us that we have to live without discernment and sound judgement. What He’s telling us is that we should be very, very careful to not judge hypocritically.
 
You can see this clearly when you read the very next words. Because then Jesus goes on to say: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take that speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5)
 
In other words, look in the mirror first. Don’t pick apart the little faults in other people’s lives when you’ve got some big issues in your life. He’s saying, “Don’t judge hypocritically.”  
 
Let’s pray.

Jesus, I picture You right now … not as a character in a dusty old book or a figure in a stained-glass window … but as You really were. A young man, full of life, full of love.  Your smile is bright.  A crowd is gathered around You. But You focus on one person in that crowd … one person who’s lived a very messy life – a life out of bounds.  But you don’t judge them, You just love them.  A love that changes them. Now, Lord, look at me like that. Because I also have lived a life out of bounds, for I am a sinner.  I’ve messed up.  And I need Your forgiveness. I need Your mercy and grace for all the times I have done deeds worthy of judgement. 

Jesus, I give My life to You.  I surrender. 

In Your Name I pray, Amen.



It’s an Honor

God, we honor You this January. We honor You with our lives, we express our love, we worship You.
Help us also honor You by honoring the people You love – the people you thought were worth dying for.
Starting today, help us outdo one another in showing honor. Let it start in our homes, as we try to out-love, out-encourage, out-compliment each other. Then, let it flow into our community, as we change the whole feel of our workplace, our school, our circle of friends.
Finally, I honor Jesus, my Savior. I honor His love, His courage, His commitment. I am forever grateful, and I stand in awe of Him. In His Name we pray, Amen.


God is For Me!

God is For Me!
I don’t live for His approval, I live from His approval.
The Bible says this: God demonstrated His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners … Long before we ever did anything right, long before we ever tried to serve God … Christ died for us. He was so much for us, and loved us so much, He showed us His love by sending His Son to die for us. (Romans 5:8)
So, that means you never have to say, “Well, I did good. Does God love me now?”
“Oops! I did bad, is God upset at me?”
“Oh, I helped somebody out. Does God love me now?”
“Oops! I did a double take when that good looking woman walked by – but I told God He did a good job when He made her – but I shouldn’t have done that, right? Now, God doesn’t love me – because I’m bad.”
No, now you know that God always, always loves you and God is always, always on your side. You don’t have to live for His approval, you live from His approval – like a little child who recognizes that the parents love the child just for who they are, not for what they do.
When you realize that God is for you, you won’t hide from Him, you’ll run to Him. You’re not going to live for His approval, you’re going to live from His approval.


The Key to a Blessed Life

November 5, 2021
The key to a blessed life is a heart of generosity. If you want to be more blessed and less stressed, you will become more blessed when you become more generous.
Look at what the Bible tells us: “One man gives freely.” Okay, so he gives … so, you would think he doesn’t have as much after that. But what happens? “Yet he gains even more. Another man is stingy, yet he comes to poverty.” How? How can that be? Folks, it’s a Law of the universe: “A generous person will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” (Proverbs 11:24-25)
The Bible says it loud and clear! A generous person will prosper. So, the key to a blessed life is a generous heart.