V IS FOR VICTORY
February 21, 2012
‘The good news isn’t that God is victorious. How can he not be victorious? The good news is that we can be victorious too.’
When we worship we are singing songs of celebrations, songs of victory.
The battle has already been won.
THE PROBLEM INFRONT OF US IS NEVER AS BIG AS THE POWER INSIDE US
Jesus had victory on the cross so that every day we can have victory.
Victory in every situation:
Health, finance, friendships, relationships, temptation and employment.
2012 can be your best year yet. It has nothing to do with what problems you face but everything to do with how much you will trust God.
David was Victorious in battle but we went through the process before.
Don’t expect to beat your problem if you are not willing to go through the process.
Lets look at the build up to David’s Victory.
Samuel 16v 7 But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.” MSG
As you look through the Bible you find that God does not choose the best of the best or the most gifted.
He chooses people based on their heart.
Moses ran from justice, Jonah ran from God, Rahab ran a brothel, Sampson ran to the wrong woman, Jacob ran in circles, Elijah ran into the mountains, Sarah ran out of hope, lot ran with the wrong crowd,
But God used them all.
Being Victorious has nothing to do with skills, gifts or talent. It has everything to do with putting your trust, your heart and your life with Christ.
1 Samuel 16 v 18 One of the young men spoke up, “I know someone. I’ve seen him myself: the son of Jesse of Bethlehem, an excellent musician. He’s also courageous, of age, well-spoken, and good-looking. And God is with him.”
David had a subtle confidence that he new who he was in God. People could see God was with him
When you know who you are in Christ people can see God is with you!
You cannot be victorious for Christ if you do not know who you are in Christ.
Do you see yourself the way God does?
You were born an original so don’t die a copy.
Don’t try to be more that what you are. Just be good at what you are.
When your security is in Christ you don’t live to impress, live to impact.
When you build your Identity in Christ you build on an unshakable platform
So how do you build your identity in Christ?
“From your thoughts come your actions
From your actions come your habits
From your habits come your character
From your character comes your Destiny”
Margret Thatcher
If you want to be In Christ just spend some time with Christ
When you build your identity in Christ you don’t care about the words of man because you know the word of your maker
1 Samuel 17v34 David said, “I’ve been a shepherd, tending sheep for my father. Whenever a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I’d go after it, knock it down, and rescue the lamb. If it turned on me, I’d grab it by the throat, wring its neck, and kill it. Lion or bear, it made no difference—I killed it. And I’ll do the same to this Philistine pig who is taunting the troops of God-Alive. God, who delivered me from the teeth of the lion and the claws of the bear, will deliver me from this Philistine.”
David knew he could win the public battle because he had won the private battle
What Is your public battle? Your fight when no one is watching?
We can be great at public emotion but is there any private devotion?
He knew he could be victorious with everyone watching because he has been victorious when no one was watching.
1 Samuel 17v48 That roused the Philistine, and he started toward David. David took off from the front line, running toward the Philistine.
Your words are your running away or running towards your giant.
How you talk about your battle shows more about you than it does about your situation.
Do you speak to your giant or does he speak to you?
No one else discusses God. David discusses no on but God
Don’t go around talking about how big your problem is,
talk about how big your God is.
Don’t get overwhelmed by your Giant get overwhelmed by your God.
TRUST IN HIM
God doesn’t always say how you are going to
get through it but he does say
trust me!
Jesus was a king that led us into battle like David.
A king that was willing to give his life for his people.
Jesus means: He saves.
V IS FOR VICTORY
Journal?
February 6, 2012
What image springs to your mind when you read the word ‘journaling’?
Maybe a teenager writing down his or her thoughts about their latest relationship. A daily diary of the ups and downs, highs and lows of life.
In my mind I had journaling down as something to do if you had spare time, something if you are creative and like writing.
That was because I didn’t really know what journaling was.
Definition: A daily record of news or events of a personal nature.
Journaling is personal.
To me Journaling is writing my thoughts about the passage I read during my morning devotion. I have a wide margin bible so I scribble my thoughts there or in my notebook.
If you want to do a quick thought for your Journal try this: S.O.A.P
Scripture. Read a passage or verse from the bible.
Observation. What stands out in that verse to you?
Application. How could you apply that to your life?
Prayer. Say or write a prayer in relation to what you read.
It is not about how well you write or how profound your thought is.
It is about a personal journal, which expresses thoughts from a personal relationship with Jesus.
It is quite common to forget what you hear spoken from the platform but when you read the word yourself, write about how you can apply it and make it a habit you walk the word and live the word. You might not remember what the preacher said but if you live it out that is more important.
VELOCITY VISION VIDEO 2012
January 28, 2012
Shepherd?
January 26, 2012
Romans 8v28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
The dictionary describes a shepherd as an individual who will guide, direct or watch over.
God’s purpose is that we are all shepherds. We are all on earth to support the lost, guide the lost, help the lost, look out for the lost and go after the lost.
Through you ‘a’ shepherd they can see ‘The’ shepherd.
The very first shepherd was Abel. Abraham and Moses were shepherds. King David was the best-known shepherd of Bible history.
Shepherds were the first people to see the newborn Jesus Christ.
Shepherds are servants, shepherds are committed, shepherds are loyal, shepherds are focused and shepherds would lay down their life for just one of their flock.
There is a commonly held belief that shepherds in Bible times would break the legs of lambs that constantly wandered away.
The shepherd will then bind up the broken leg; carry the sheep upon his shoulders and hand feed the sheep. In this way the sheep learns dependence and trust in the shepherd and learns to respond to his voice.
Now I am clearly not saying God inflicts pain! A loving Father would never do that to His own son or daughter. What I am saying is that God can use all things to work together for good. He can take a bad financial situation, dysfunctional relationship or family breakdown and turn it around. Through that process He allows the individual to recognize His voice again while being carried on His shoulders. In our weakness He is our strength.
Sometimes people wander so far from God they get into situations where they ask themselves “how did I get myself into this mess” Where is God now when I need him?
This is where you step in. The loyal shepherd who has been a friend no matter what the individual chose to do.
The shepherd who did not judge but loved.
The shepherd who cared more about the person than the problem.
The shepherd who went after the one.
The ONE
January 5, 2012
Focus: The one.
Matthew 18:12-14 (MSG)
“Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and ONE of them wanders off, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine and go after the ONE? And if he finds it, doesn’t he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn’t want to lose even one of these simple believers.
When I was growing up I collected football stickers. Every weekend I would spend my £1.50 pocket money on 6 packets of boyish fun. Some days I would get a ‘shiney’, which was a rare football sticker of one of the best players. Finding one was like finding the Golden ticket in a Willy Wonker chocolate bar.
If God was the sticker collector and we were the stickers can you imagine how we would feel if God had favorites? Imagine if God saw some people as rare ‘shinny’s’ and others as common? Imagine if God only went after SOME instead of the ONE.
The good news is that Jesus died for everyONE,
God wants a relationship with everyONE.
Freedom is for everyONE
Grace is for everyONE
His love is for everyONE
Because our God is a God who goes after the ONE we should be sons and daughters who go after the ONE.
People who do everything we can to help people back to Gods presence.
No matter what inconvenience comes your way make 2012 a year focused on the ONE.
Bible in a year
January 2, 2012
If you are up for reading the Bible in a year with me then here are the January verses.
Only takes 15 minutes a day and it will help you rest work and play.
01Genesis 1:1-2:25
Matthew 1:1-2:12
Psalm 1:1-6
Proverbs 1:1-6
02Genesis 3:1-4:26
Matthew 2:13-3:6
Psalm 2:1-12
Proverbs 1:7-9
03Genesis 5:1-7:24
Matthew 3:7-4:11
Psalm 3:1-8
Proverbs 1:10-19
04Genesis 8:1-10:32
Matthew 4:12-25
Psalm 4:1-8
Proverbs 1:20-23
05Genesis 11:1-13:4
Matthew 5:1-26
Psalm 5:1-12
Proverbs 1:24-28
06Genesis 13:5-15:21
Matthew 5:27-48
Psalm 6:1-10
Proverbs 1:29-33
07Genesis 16:1-18:15
Matthew 6:1-24
Psalm 7:1-17
Proverbs 2:1-5
08Genesis 18:16-19:38
Matthew 6:25-7:14
Psalm 8:1-9
Proverbs 2:6-15
09Genesis 20:1-22:24
Matthew 7:15-29
Psalm 9:1-12
Proverbs 2:16-22
10Genesis 23:1-24:51
Matthew 8:1-17
Psalm 9:13-20
Proverbs 3:1-6
11Genesis 24:52-26:16
Matthew 8:18-34
Psalm 10:1-15
Proverbs 3:7-8
12Genesis 26:17-27:46
Matthew 9:1-17
Psalm 10:16-18
Proverbs 3:9-10
13Genesis 28:1-29:35
Matthew 9:18-38
Psalm 11:1-7
Proverbs 3:11-12
14Genesis 30:1-31:16
Matthew 10:1-23
Psalm 12:1-8
Proverbs 3:13-15
15Genesis 31:17-32:12
Matthew 10:24-11:6
Psalm 13:1-6
Proverbs 3:16-18
16Genesis 32:13-34:31
Matthew 11:7-30
Psalm 14:1-7
Proverbs 3:19-20
17Genesis 35:1-36:43
Matthew 12:1-21
Psalm 15:1-5
Proverbs 3:21-26
18Genesis 37:1-38:30
Matthew 12:22-45
Psalm 16:1-11
Proverbs 3:27-32
19Genesis 39:1-41:16
Matthew 12:46-13:23
Psalm 17:1-15
Proverbs 3:33-35
20Genesis 41:17-42:17
Matthew 13:24-46
Psalm 18:1-15
Proverbs 4:1-6
21Genesis 42:18-43:34
Matthew 13:47-14:12
Psalm 18:16-36
Proverbs 4:7-10
22Genesis 44:1-45:28
Matthew 14:13-36
Psalm 18:37-50
Proverbs 4:11-13
23Genesis 46:1-47:31
Matthew 15:1-28
Psalm 19:1-14
Proverbs 4:14-19
24Genesis 48:1-49:33
Matthew 15:29-16:12
Psalm 20:1-9
Proverbs 4:20-27
25Genesis 50:1 – Exodus 2:10
Matthew 16:13-17:9
Psalm 21:1-13
Proverbs 5:1-6
26Exodus 2:11-3:22
Matthew 17:10-27
Psalm 22:1-18
Proverbs 5:7-14
27Exodus 4:1-5:21
Matthew 18:1-20
Psalm 22:19-31
Proverbs 5:15-21
28Exodus 5:22-7:25
Matthew 18:21-19:12
Psalm 23:1-6
Proverbs 5:22-23
29Exodus 8:1-9:35
Matthew 19:13-30
Psalm 24:1-10
Proverbs 6:1-5
30Exodus 10:1-12:13
Matthew 20:1-28
Psalm 25:1-15
Proverbs 6:6-11
31Exodus 12:14-13:16
Matthew 20:29-21:22
Psalm 25:16-22
Proverbs 6:12-15
If you click the numbers it will take you to the bible in a year website
New years resolution?
December 29, 2011
John 21v25 There are so many other things Jesus did. If they were all written down, each of them, one by one, I can’t imagine a world big enough to hold such a library of books.
The last verse in the book of John draws attention to the fact that more happened than is mentioned in the bible. More people were saved, healed, restored, forgiven and transformed. More people were touched by Jesus but did not feature in the bible.
This indicates that what is in the Bible, is the most significant, the priority. The message that we read is what God wanted us to know and remember, what He wanted us to apply to our lives.
So what do we make a daily priority so that we live out the message?
Over Christmas people worry about what they eat in-between Christmas and New Years Eve but really what matters is what they eat in between New Years Eve and Christmas, as it is this that makes all the difference. Not what you do for one week of the year but what you do every day of the year.
It’s not what you do every now and then but what you do day in and day out that makes a difference. Your daily habits mold your future and change the lives of others.
It is easy to focus on the big ‘change’. “This year I will start… Soon I will give up… However it starts with the small and often, it starts with your daily priority.
If you’ve got more energy for changing the world than changing yourself, you’ve got it out of order. The world is changed when individuals change into the likeness of Christ.
They say that when you introduce a new discipline every day for one month it will become a habit. Something you do without thinking, like going to brush your teeth or getting dressed.
So maybe the challenge is not setting new-year resolutions but setting a daily priority that will become a habit for 2012
What could bring you closer to Jesus or help someone with his or her walk with Jesus? Allocating some time in the morning to sit-down with your bible and journal while reading the church devotionals? Dedicating five minutes a day to give someone an encouraging phone call?
As we head into 2012 with so many goals, dreams and ambitions why not focus on Jesus and think about what priority you could you apply daily to your life to make it a habit and start this year strong.
The stories that made it into the bible are there because they are a priority for us to know. When we prioritize the message of Jesus as a daily discipline the message becomes accessible to others.
A leap into the future starts with one small step in the present.
When Jesus is at the centre everything else falls into it’s right place
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE
Try something new?
December 21, 2011
John 18v8-9 (MSG) “I told you,” said Jesus, “that’s me. I’m the one. So if it’s me you’re after, let these others go.” (This validated the words in his prayer, “I didn’t lose one of those you gave.”10Just then Simon Peter, who was carrying a sword, pulled it from its sheath and struck the Chief Priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. Malchus was the servant’s name.
Here Jesus is about to be taken away by the roman soldiers. His ‘hard as nails’ mate Simon Peter then cuts off the right ear of Malchus, one of the men there to take Jesus away to be crucified.
In Luke 22v50 you can see that Jesus then heals the ear of Malchus.
The man who was there to take Jesus to His death was then blessed by Jesus.
A key part to forgiveness is blessing your enemy. It sounds so foreign because it is the opposite reaction we see in movies, TV and in our culture today.
An example of this can be seen in this story.
There was a pastor who grew a church, which helped the homeless and the drug addicted.
He did a great job but for some reason a newspaper reporter decided to write lies about him each week saying that he was a fraud and a liar. The Pastor started to develop a hate for this man and that hate took over his life making him negative, bitter and angry. He cried out to God asking him for a solution and he read:
Proverbs 25:21 If you see your enemy hungry go buy him lunch; if he’s thirsty bring him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness, and God will look after you.
So he decided to bless his enemy. He put $100 each month into the reporters account. The newspaper reporter had no idea where the money was coming from.
The Pastor said that after blessing his enemy he felt compassion and love for him instead of anger and hate. The reporter still wrote negative stuff, however every time the pastor read the articles he smiled and felt an even more urgent need to pray for him.
When we can bless the person we find it so hard to love and forgive we see change. God can change our heart and bring freedom!
When people are rude and unfriendly bless them with the warmest welcome.
When people are negative and destructive be the most positive and constructive blessing you can be.
When people mistreat you, belittle you or bully you stand your ground, be strong and then shower them with a grace that only can take place because you are connected to the love of the Father.
Question: Am I struggling to forgive? Have I considered blessing my enemy?
Tis the season to forgive
December 15, 2011
John 20v23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
So we are only a few days from Christmas. The festive mulled wine, the excessive pairs of socks, a huge stuffed turkey and the fun family games. No matter what age I am I will always have fun using the wrapping paper tube as a light Sabre.
Over the seasonal period the past can sometimes be brought up, bitterness can creep in and we can start to realize that forgiveness is a lot harder than we originally thought.
Forgiveness or un-forgiveness is relevant to everyone because it affects us all. We all have people we stru
ggle to forgive or just won’t forgive and there are also people who we would like to forgive us.
Un-forgiveness can lead to several things: bitterness, anger, insecurity, loneliness and pain.
It actually damages you more than other people. It molds who you are and shapes your future.
Forgiveness does not mean forget. The old tale says ‘forgive and forget’ but this is not how it works. It’s an added bonus when you can forget but from experience I have found for most people this is not the case. For example if a girl is abused by her boyfriend she can forgive him and even find peace but the chances of her forgetting it are very slim.
The most important element is the forgiveness.
We are called to embrace salvation and transform into the likeness of Christ. This includes forgiving people. This is what separates us from the world.
No revenge, no backstabbing just Grace.
It actually takes a choice. A choice to forgive. A choice to grow into the likeness of Christ
People want more of Christ but they don’t want to be more like Christ.
It is hard to forgive but it is not something we are asked to do it is something we are called to do.
Jesus forgave us for all our sins. His GRACE covers us.
How well behaved we are is irrelevant. How religious we are means nothing.
By his GRACE, by the CROSS we can follow in the footsteps of Jesus and forgive others like he did.
V is for Visionary (Part 2)
December 9, 2011
Nehemiah goes to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls.
These six steps show how his visionary plan unfolded.
1) SEE THE NEED-Nehemiah 1v4
Nehemiah weeps and prays to God when he hears the news of the demolished city walls. He recognizes the need.
The British TV show Dragons Den supply’s us with hours of entertainment. The content of the show involves many visionary individuals with a new idea or concept.
The definition of a visionary is: Thinking about or planning the future with imagination or wisdom.
The imaginative and creative people on Dragons Den have not sat down and tried to squeeze out a visionary idea. They have just gone about their daily business and then have seen a need. From a car seat improvement to an Ipod app. They have seen a need and then used their imagination and wisdom to fix, improve or change it.
What need do you see in your community? What need would break the heart of Jesus? Does it break your heart?
If we act on the needs that Jesus would, we will be doing the will of God.
2) STEP OUT -Nehemiah 2
Nehemiah was compelled into action because his heart broke for the people.
He goes to see the king to do something about the wall being down.
Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision and action can change the world.
Are you Visionary or Stationary?
A leap into the future starts with one small step in the present.
3) FOLLOW THROUGH-Nehemiah 2v8
Nehemiah asked for wood to build a house. He was committed to the vision and He was not moving until it came to pass.
HE WAS AWARE OF THE DREAM BUT FOCUSED ON THE DAY.
He was part of Gods visionary plan so his action was commitment.
Are you planted or do you move from church to church? From team to team? From vision to vision?
4) DREAM BIG-Nehemiah 2v11
Nehemiah now has the plans to rebuild the wall but they are big plans. The vision is rather large.
The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done.
Nehemiah knew who he was connected to God so he could dream big.
If you can see the invisible, through you He can do the impossible.
Moses stood in front of the red sea
David stood in front of Goliath
Sampson stood in front of thousands of Philistines
Jesus stood in front of death
They all knew whom they were connected to
The situation in front of you is never as big as the power behind you
5) SEE WHAT OTHERS DON’T SEE -Nehemiah 2v17
Nehemiah then gathered all the leaders and shared with them the vision to rebuild the wall.
It seemed strange that the people of Jerusalem had not considered rebuilding the wall.
They had become accustomed to the wall being down
Nehemiah saw what others did not see. He saw the need because he had not become accustomed to it.
What have we become accustomed to? The sort of need we walk past but do not register it because we see it all the time?
A visionary like the Wright Brothers who flew the first aircraft saw what others did not see.
They will dream what others do not dream.
They will build what others do not build.
