Category: Teaching

Spiritual Weapons and Warfare

Posted on by

We must remember that we cannot live the Christian life on our own and that the enemy will come at us with all he can to disable and distract the followers of Jesus. It is a spiritual battle that affects life in the real world. Stand strong and use your weapons.

Quotes:

Our authority comes out of who we are in Christ, and our capacity to intimidate the enemy comes out of our intimacy with God. — Graham Cooke

God judged it better to bring good out of evil than to permit no evil to exist. — St. Augustine of Hippo

Victory is the normal experience of a Christian; defeat should be the abnormal experience. — Watchman Nee

Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God. — Jim Elliot

Top 10 Weapons of Spiritual Warfare:

  1. Self-control and vigilance: Be of sober spirit, be on the alert Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8).
  2. Obedience: For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).
  3. Confidence and Perseverance: Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. (Hebrews 10:35-36).
  4. The Word of God: For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12).
  5. Justice: And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. (Revelation 19:11).
  6. Worship: Therefore urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2).
  7. Truth: Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, (Ephesians 6:14).
  8. Prayer: With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, (Ephesians 6:18).
  9. Faith: Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13).
  10. Love: “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (Matthew 5:44).

Surrendering Control

Posted on by

This is one of the critical evidences that one is an authentic follower of Jesus; do you just believe the right stuff about Jesus, like you have your ticket to heaven, or do you genuinely desire to conform to His image. Do you allow the Holy Spirit control over your life, including your decisions, your ambitions, your marriage, your family, your leisure time?

Quotes:

Do we have any inner resources at the moment when we are accosted by the Holy One…? Immediately our credentials of independence vanish, and we cease to carry ourselves with the swagger of the executive who knows what’s up and has all under control; we become aware of innate poverty, our next-breath dependence, and a numbness that invades the roots of our littleness and realness. — Brennan Manning

God plays a game with the soul called, “the loser wins;” a game in which the one who holds the poorest cards does best. The Pharisee’s consciousness that he had such an excellent hand really prevented him from taking a single trick. — Evelyn Underhill

Top 10 Ways to Relinquish Control:

  1. Make frequent use of Jesus’ prayer, “Not my will, but Yours.”.
  2. Meditate on Jesus’ attitude in Philippians 2:1-18, being a servant, humble and obedient.
  3. Read Roy Hession’s book, The Calvary Road for a new perspective on brokenness and surrender. (Get the Book)
  4. Make a habit of not making important decisions alone.
  5. Live by a schedule that allows for spontaneity and reflection.
  6. Experiment with fasting one day a week for a month.
  7. Make a list of potential addictions in your life.
  8. Ask your best friend if you have any controlling habits.
  9. Commit yourself to not motivate people through guilt.
  10. This month give away both some money and some time.

Ways to Tell Your Story

Posted on by

We often believe that evangelism is only for pastors and my Sunday School teacher, but when we begin to realize that we are simply telling our story, the pressure melts away. We need to become tour guides helping people on a spiritual journey more than salesmen trying to close the deal.

Quotes:

Lord, make me a crisis man. Let me not be a mile-post on a single road, but make me a fork that men must turn one way or an other in facing Christ in me. — Jim Elliot

Knowing that we are fulfilling God’s purpose is the only thing that really gives rest to the restless human heart. — Charles Colson

Top 10 Ways to Tell Your Story:

  1. Keep a running journal of your journey with Jesus.
  2. Share your turning points in your story with your close friends.
  3. Look for the felt needs in people who live and work around you.
  4. Look for people who are different from you (ethnically, socioeconomically, culturally) and listen to their stories and share yours.
  5. In your relationships, don’t just share truths; share your story of learning truth.
  6. Consider how God interweaves your story with the stories of others.
  7. Travel through third-world countries to enlarge your view of the human story.
  8. Study the stories of biblical heroes to apply their lessons to your story.
  9. Earn the right to speak by being a great listener.
  10. As you share your story, always be respectful of other people’s stories.

The Holy Spirit in Real Life

Posted on by

We desire for God to be so evident in our lives that He shines through with unmistakable evidence that He is real and involved in our lives. Besides an incorrect theology that speaking in tongues is evidence of the Spirit in our lives, how can we know He is there?

Quotes:

So it is when our spirits (small s), as distinct from our souls, that the Spirit (big S) comes to live. Our spirits have direct communion with God’s Spirit as we cultivate the spiritual life. — Jerome Daley

The Holy Spirit establishes the righteousness of heaven in the midst of the unrighteousness of earth, and will not stop or stay until that is dead has been brought back to life and a new world has come into being. — Karl Barth

It is through the Word, and the Word alone, that the Spirit teaches, applying the general principles or promises to our special need. And it is The Spirit, and The Spirit alone, who can really make the Word a light on our path. — Andrew Murray

Top 10 Implications of the Spirit’s Activity in Your Life:

  1. You find it unrepentantly easier to be patient and kind (Galatians 5:22).
  2. You sense a sudden urgency to pray for a friend or family member.
  3. You long to spend time with God and be in His presence.
  4. The Bible makes sense to you like never before.
  5. Scriptures to encourage others pop out of your mind.
  6. Your appetite for God’s Word gets stronger and stronger.
  7. You recognize that the Spirit has gifted you in a certain way to allow you to serve God with a certain ease and effectiveness.
  8. You may develop dreams that illuminate God’s heart.
  9. You sense God’s nearness and comfort when you are grieving.
  10. You feel an inexpiable peace in the midst of stressful circumstances.

Spiritual Relevance

Posted on by

There is a Christian culture that is complete with its own language and traditions; and most of lost America has no clue how to connect with or understand us. Christianity is some ancient or foreign ritual that has no relevance in modern culture. But the gospel is relevant to every person in any culture, we just have a public relations problem.

Quotes:

Few people articulate a redemptive message using relational terms. We believe in logic, science, lists, and formulas. God’s doesn’t use any of those. — Donald Miller

Our failure to impact contemporary culture is not because we have not been relevant enough, but because we have not been real enough. — Sally Morenthaler

The test of the vitality of a religion is to be seen in its effect on the culture. — Elton Trueblood

Your life is not your own, it belongs to God. To “be yourself” is not just to be anything you want to be. To “be yourself” is to be and do what God wants you to be and do, knowing that God created you for a mission and knows you and your mission better than you do. — Leonard Sweet

Top 10 Ways to Be Spiritually Relevant:

  1. Filter religious jargon from your language.
  2. Do not filter your authentic spirituality.
  3. Be respectful of other people’s convictions.
  4. Do not hide your own convictions.
  5. Tune in to the felt needs of your culture.
  6. Do not limit your spiritual gifts to the church.
  7. Offer advice, not judgment.
  8. Expect God to work miracles in your workplace.
  9. Do not hide your struggles and failures.
  10. Never move in fear; always move in love.

Ways to Influence People

Posted on by

Leadership can be defined as exerting influence over people; which puts just about all of us into a leadership position. We influence people all the time; thus making us leaders. There is an art and a science to leading others; and the best example of leadership is Jesus himself.

Quotes:

You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love. — Henry Drummond

We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time and no imagination left for being. As a result, men are valued not for what they are but for what they do or what they have–for their usefulness. — Thomas Merton

Top 10 Ways to Influence People:

  1. Respect other people’s time, space and values.
  2. Listen beyond words to someone’s heart.
  3. Ask questions in order to get to know someone.
  4. Be vulnerable with people closest to you.
  5. Make time for people, not just projects.
  6. Spend time in prayer with people you love.
  7. Go beyond chit-chat to real issues.
  8. Know your friends’ real dreams and intimidations.
  9. Take a road trip to build a friendship.
  10. Have fun together in spontaneous ways.

Connecting in Prayer

Posted on by

Prayer is often misunderstood. It is more connecting with God than it is a formula for getting answers or even stuff from God. Sometimes we think that God is like a genie waiting to grant our wishes if only we would ask Him. The fact is that the more we get to know God, the more our prayers are changed. We ask differently when we begin to realize the sacrifice of Christ. When we go through the pit with Christ, that experience changes our prayer life. Oswald Chambers once wrote something like, prayer is God’s avenue of change in us. When we pray, God will change our hearts and will often use us to bring about a solution or an answer to our prayers.

Quotes:

Prayer is not a means to an end. In so many ways, it is the end itself. — Beth Moore

Prayer lays hold of God’s plan and becomes the link between His will and its accomplishment on earth. Amazing things happen, and we are given the privilege of being the channels of the Holy Spirit’s prayer. — Elizabeth Elliot

Work, work, from morning until late at night. In fact, I have so much to do that I shall have to spend the first three hours in prayer. — Martin Luther

Top 10 Steps to Connecting in Prayer:

  1. Inward – reflect, breath, prepare.
  2. Noise – declutter anxious and distracting thoughts.
  3. Let go – inhale the nearness of God, exhale hindrances.
  4. Hurts – acknowledge and confess your brokenness.
  5. Distractions – focus thought and life upon your Source.
  6. Holy space – be, receive from your heavenly Father.
  7. Outward – freely you have received, freely give.
  8. Self – savor the gift of God that is in you.
  9. Planet – feel the passion the Creator has for His cosmos.
  10. Others – call forth the purposes of God in your relationships.

Expressing Passionate Faith

Posted on by

Passion is generally defined as intense emotion; and when we have passion for God, we live differently than simply living a casual existence, just simply getting by. We develop purpose and meaning and direction. We are then motivated to serve because it is the right thing to do, not out of guilt or for any rewards or recognition that might come. Imagine pursuing God with the same passion we had for our wives, before we got married.

Quotes:

I want deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after God. The lack of it has brought us to our present low estate. The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain. — C. S. Lewis

There is no emptiness of soul ever for those whose life is devoted to God. — William Lawson

Few delights can equal the mere presence of One whom we fully trust. — George McDonald

Top 10 Expressions of a Passionate Faith:

  1. Worship freely: let your body mirror your soul.
  2. Pray continually: speak with feeling and intensity.
  3. Share openly: Do not filter your spirituality around unbelievers.
  4. Live intentionally: fill every day with Kingdom content.
  5. Serve radically: lead your family into spiritual connection.
  6. Love deeply: love for and respond to people’s urgent needs.
  7. Listen carefully: take time to hear people’s true hearts.
  8. Protect vigilantly: know the enemy’s schemes and cut him off.
  9. Speak honestly: Don’t mask your soul in religious veneer.
  10. Rest thankfully: invest wisely in Sabbath renewal.

Money and Materialism

Posted on by

The Bible has a lot to say about money and materialism. Jesus spoke more about wealth and riches than heaven or hell. It seems that the way we respond to wealth is a good indication of our priorities. Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also (Matthew 6:21). The heart follows our treasure; the treasure never follows the heart.

Quotes:

Money will buy a bed but not sleep, books but not brains, food but not appetite, finery but not beauty, medicine but not health, luxury but not culture, amusement but not happiness, a crucifix but not a Savior, a temple of religion but not heaven. — Anonymous

It is not the persecution of China that I fear. The church has always been able to weather persecution. My fear is the love of money in the church. — A Chinese Pastor

You are rich if you had a meal today. –Billy Graham

Top 10 Warnings of Materialism:

  1. You subtly resent giving your tithe in church.
  2. You need to work overtime just to buy the latest fashions.
  3. You find it difficult to give generously to your friends and family.
  4. You constantly talk and think about money.
  5. You secretly want others to admire your possessions.
  6. You like to show off your best toys.
  7. You label people who are poor as being lazy or unmotivated.
  8. You pride yourself in buying only the best products.
  9. You respect wealthy people and value their opinions more than the opinions of others who are less well off.
  10. You extend yourself to help others only when it profits you.

Loving When It’s Hard

Posted on by

We are called to love God and love others as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39), and by our love all men will know that we are His disciples (John 13:35), and we are to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44), but sometimes it’s pretty difficult to do all this. Isn’t it great that God doesn’t leave us to do it on our own? He wants to live through us (Galatians 2:20).

Quotes:

Our love to God is measured by our everyday fellowship with others and the love it displays. — Andrew Murray

There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread. — Mother Teresa

Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them? — Abraham Lincoln

Top 10 Ways to Love When It’s Hard:

  1. Pray regularly for that person, even if he feels like an enemy.
  2. Look for practical ways to serve him, even if he doesn’t know.
  3. Be available; time is the most precious gift you can offer.
  4. Take opportunities to honor and speak well of that one.
  5. Include him, when appropriate, in special activities.
  6. Sometimes a hug or brief touch can communicate what words cannot.
  7. Take the risk to share your heart with that person; be the real you.
  8. If possible, worship or pray together or in a small group.
  9. Journal your desire for God’s good in his life.
  10. Thank God for changing your thoughts about that person.