STIX 'N STONES

When You Don't Think You Can

This morning Joe Schafer (our children's pastor at APC) led the Ministry School students in prayer.  He did a fantastic job.  During the prayer time he challenged the students to write down the "calling" that God had placed on their lives.  He also challenged them from the 1st chapter of Jeremiah and talked about how God called Jeremiah and chose him before he was ever born.  After God spoke, Jeremiah had objections because he didn't think he could be used by God.  He had his doubts (just like most of us at times).  God answered Jeremiah's doubts by saying,

"Do not say, 'I am only a child.'  You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you, declares the Lord."  (Jeremiah 1:7-8)

Joe made the following 3 observations about God's challenge to Jeremiah:

1) Forget Your Excuses - God didn't let Jeremiah hide behind his excuses.  He knew that would hinder his future.  God doesn't want us to hide behind our excuses anymore either.  It will hinder our future as well.  Are there excuses that you're hiding behind that are preventing you from obeying God in a certain area of your life?

2) Remember What God Has Asked You To Do (Your "Calling") - God reminded Jeremiah that He had sent him.  God had called him.  Therefore God was going to "back" him and support him.  Sometimes we need to remember the things that God has asked us to do, called us to do, or promises He has given us.  Are we staying on track?  Are we walking in obedience or have we forgot about those things?  Maybe it's time to "dust off" a promise that God has given us a long time ago that we're no longer believing or hanging on to.  God is reminding you today that He wants to bring those things to pass.

3) Nothing Is Impossible With God - God also reminded Jeremiah that his adequacy didn't lie in his own abilities, but rather in God's abilities.  And remember, that NOTHING is impossible with God!  Just like Jeremiah, we often have the tendency to live by what we CAN'T do instead of by what God CAN do.  A good question to ask is, "What areas am I limiting God in my life?" 

Do You Have "Junk" That Your Hiding?

Last night in our Sr High 2Twenty Youth Service we did something unique.  Instead of having a typical sermon, we watched one of Rob Bell's "mini-movies" from the Nooma series called LUMP, which talks about the "junk" we often hide in our lives.  Then we broke off into small groups for a time of discussion and Bible study relevant to the topic of the video.  It actually went really well.  I even decided to post the discussion guide that we created for our small groups.  Some of the questions were taken from the booklet that came with the purchase of the Nooma series, while others were ones we came up with ourselves.  If you choose to watch the video (which I recommend), just know that it lasts about 10 minutes.

Lump (Rob Bell - Nooma)

HERE'S OUR DISCUSSION GUIDE WE CREATED:

Question #1 – Have you ever gotten busted for something you’ve done?  If so, what was it?

 

Question #2 – What are some ways that you avoid dealing with the “junk” in your life?

 

Question #3 – You don’t have to answer the first part of this question out loud, but make sure you think about it:

• Do you have anything in your life that you’re hiding or something that you’re ashamed of?  If so, are you ready to deal with it?
• Here’s the portion of the question that you can answer out loud: Instead of hiding something that you’re ashamed of, or that you regret, what’s the best thing to do about?  What are the results of continuing to hide it?

 

*Let’s see what the Bible has to say about these things:

 

James 5:16 – “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

• This verse tells us there is freedom and power when we confess the things we’re trying to hide.  When we confess to God, He forgives us.  When we confess to another person who is spiritually strong, they can help by to keep us accountable so that we don’t keep getting tripped up by the same thing over and over again.

Romans 8:38-39 - And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

    

Question #4 – Is it difficult for you to believe that God loves you no matter what you have done in your life?  Why or why not? 

 

Question #5 – How can that truth (the fact that God loves you no matter what) help to change the way that you live? 

 

Remember this quote from the video: “May you stop hiding under the covers.  May you let God pull the covers back.  May you embrace him.  May your whole life become a response to the truth that you’ve always been loved, you are loved, and you always will be loved.”

Fear, Trust & Freedom

What are you afraid of?  Most people are hesitant to admit their fears, but everyone has them.  Speaking in public ranks as one of the top fears.  I’m sure that the fear of heights is somewhere near the top, as well as the fear of failure.

 Fears can be paralyzing and will prevent us from reaching the full potential that Christ has for our lives.  The opposite of fear is trust.  When we let fear rule our lives, we are choosing not to trust in Christ.  The more we more we give place to fear, the more it grows.  Did you know that your greatest breakthroughs in life will often happen as you conquer your fears?  Our tendency is to run away from them, but God wants us to conquer them! 

 Hebrews 2:14-15 says, “by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear. . .”  The power of Christ is greater than the power of fear.  What fears are holding you in bondage?  Let Jesus set you free today.  

 

Who's Fault Is It?

As long as we blame other people or other things for our poor spiritual condition, we will always live in defeat.  In Genesis chapter 3, Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  When God confronted them, Eve blamed the snake and Adam blamed Eve for what they had done.  No one took the responsibility for his/her own actions. 

 

It’s easy to blame other people and outside circumstances for the way that we’re currently living.  The truth is, however, nothing and no one can stand in the way of our relationship with Jesus.  We can’t control other people and we can’t always control the things that happen to us, but we do have a choice how we respond.  

 

Blaming others and/or situations for our inferior spiritual condition will only lead us further away from Christ.  Make the decision to take full responsibility for your relationship with Jesus no matter who or what seems to be standing in your way! 

 

The Valleys of Life

This morning I shared some thoughts on Psalm 84 with our MCM Ministry School students before our prayer time together.  Part of this passage of Scripture talks about passing through the Valley of Baca.  In Hebrew, the word "baca" means weeping or tears.  No doubt we will all pass through seasons and times of challenges in our life, but it is not meant for us to stay there.  The verse says that we will "pass through," not "take up residence" or "stay" in the valley.  Too often people decide to live in the Valley of Baca instead of passing through.  The pain, hurt and weeping can be so overwhelming that it may seem easier to live in that place. 

But if we keep our eyes on Jesus, Psalm 84 says that he can make our valleys a "place of springs."  We can go from "strength to strength," not from weeping to weeping or from struggle to struggle.  God has much different plans than for us to live a life of defeat.  We just need to believe that!  Many times our greatest breakthroughs will occur after we walk through a valley.  The key is that we must keep on walking and keep on believing.  Don't stay in the valleys of life.  Often we are so close to a major breakthrough, but fail to realize it because of how the valley (times of weeping) makes us feel.  Let God turn your times of weeping into times of refreshing.  Believe that your greatest breakthroughs are just around the corner! 

Reasons To Sin

It’s easy to come up with reasons as to why we’re participating with things we shouldn’t participate with.  It’s also easy for us to come up with reasons as to why we’re not doing things that we should be doing.  Those “reasons” are actually better known as "excuses."  (I have to remind myself of this sometimes).

In Ezekiel 9:8-10, people were saying that God had left them, therefore they could do whatever they wanted to do.  That was simply an excuse to make it easier for them to sin and live apart from God.  They convinced themselves that their sin was actually acceptable.  That is a very dangerous way to live.  When you reach that point, it’s a good indication that you’re drifting away from God. 

 Do you find yourself making excuses for sin and compromise in your life?  If so, make a decision to end these negative patterns today.  Repent and ask God to forgive you.  Surrender yourself to Him and invite the Holy Spirit to be the leader of your life once again!

 

Are You Guilty?

One of the main tools of the enemy is to cause followers of Jesus to live with guilt in their lives.  Guilt literally strips away spiritual victory and causes us to walk in defeat.  We often attempt to get rid of guilt by trying harder and doing more things we consider to be “good” that outweigh the “bad.”

 If you haven’t already discovered, those efforts don’t work.  They only cause you to feel more like a failure.  Why?  Because the only way to get rid of guilt is to accept what Jesus did for you on the cross.  His blood that was shed destroyed the work of guilt and sin forever!  There is nothing you can do to earn that forgiveness.  You simply need to accept it. 

The Bible says in Ephesians 1:7, “he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.”  It’s only through the blood of Jesus that our sins are forgiven and that we can be free from the power of guilt that rules us.  It’s not about us doing more, it’s about us accepting what Jesus already did for us!

 

Consistency With God - "Take 10"

We often hear that we should spend time with God, but the truth is, many people often don't know exactly what to do during that "time with God."  It can almost seem like a daunting task!  To overcome this obstacle, I've created something called "Take 10."  It's a daily devotional guide that we publish for teenagers every month, but it's really applicable to people of all ages.  The concept behind this tool is simple, yet powerful.  The challenge is to take at least 10 minutes of every day to spend with God in prayer and Bible reading.  For each day of the month there is a chapter to read from the Bible, some prayer points, and a Scripture to meditate on or memorize.

Here's today's exert from the "Take 10" devotional guide:

Scripture Reading: Mark Chapter 4

Prayer Points: Philippians 1:9-11
"Cause my love to increase more and more in knowledge and depth of insight."

• Pray that your life would be captivated with love for Jesus.  Take some time to tell God how much you love Him. 

"Help me to discern what is best and to be pure and blameless until the day of Christ."

• Pray that every evil thought that doesn't line up with Christ would be defeated in your life.
• Surrender yourself to God and ask him to make you pure in your thoughts, actions, relationships, words and desires.

"Fill me with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God."

• Pray that the following "fruits of the Spirit" would be evident in your life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  (Example: "God, give me {list the fruit of the Spirit} in my life today.  Remove anything in my life that keeps you from producing this quality in me.  Change me to live with more {list the fruit of the Spirit} so that I will be more like Jesus.")

Scripture For Meditation: Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 

BIG Changes - Little Steps

BIG changes do not often start out with something BIG.  Instead, they often begin with small steps that accumulate over time, which can lead up to or produce something BIG.  Earl Nightengale (a personal development coach) said something to the effect of, "If you will spend an extra hour each day of study in your chosen field, you will be an expert in that field in five years or less." 

That's a staggering statement!  Even though 1 hour per day doesn't seem like that much time in the big scheme of things, the truth is, most people won't take him up on that challenge.  But that's not the issue.  It's the principle of his statement that I want to focus on.  If we just do a little bit of study/personal enrichment every day on a consistent basis, it will have a HUGE impact on our lives. 

The same is true spiritually.  If we will commit to spending regular time with God every day on a consistent basis, it will have BIG impact.  I'll reveal a simple, yet effective way of how you can do this tomorrow. . .

Revelation Through Writing - An Online Journaling Experience

One of the things I enjoy doing is capturing what God speaks to me as I read the Bible.  This is the primary way that I "journal."  When a Scripture stands out to me or the Holy Spirit prompts me with something that I'm reading, I take extra time to meditate and pray about that Scripture or particular passage.  It really helps me to also write out what God is laying on my heart regarding those verses.  I find that as I begin to write, that God begins to reveal more.  This is often how Scriptures come ALIVE in my spirit.  God uses this process to give me greater revelation of His Word.  

I've recently started to use the website, momolog.com as my journaling resource.  It's a free service that allows you to keep daily/regular journals and memos.  (You must have a Google account to access it, but you can set one up very quickly if you don't already have one).  It's been working great for me so far.  I also like the way you can "tag" each entry with keywords that relate to the topic you're writing about.  You can then search the keywords to find specific things you've written about in the past.  This is a great source of help, because many times my sermons and teachings will come from the times God has spoken to me through the Bible.  Now I have an easy way to capture those thoughts and recover them quickly when I need them. 

If you're an iphone user, there's a momolg app that's available, but it does cost $4.99 (at the time of this posting).  I haven't used it yet, but if you search "momo" in the app store, you'll find it.