Tags: calling, church, denomination, fellowship, God's gifts, leadership, pastors, prayer, spiritual leaders, teachers	
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.” (Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬ NLT)
For the last few days, I’ve sat in meetings with department and oversight leaders of my denomination from across our nation, hearing the vision God gave them for our Fellowship. In turn, we take these visions and goals back to our home states and pass them along to leaders and pastors, trying to connect the head with the grass roots. And then as a Pastor, I have to pass these along to my leaders and teachers, that we can accomplish all these plus our own community vision as well.
When God created the Church, He called men and women to set aside their life goals and ambitions so that He could fully use them to fully reach His people. Regardless of the messes fleshly people have created, the Church was God’s gift to the world, and ministry workers were His gift to the Church. They are not a secret society or a league of superheroes, simply common people with a heart for God, a mind for the work, and a willingness to serve.
Take time to pray for your denomination or organization leaders. Then lift up the wonderful leaders at your local church that you love. It takes a lot of folks surrendering their lives so that you can know God and make Him known. Celebrate the gifts God gave so that you could know that you are loved!
Tags: damascus, discipline, disobedience, ignorance, Oswald Chambers, Saul, self-harm, self-inflicted, self-willed, spiritual service, spiritual walk	
Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.” (Acts 26‬:‭14‬ NLT)
In 2010, unintentional firearm injuries caused the deaths of 606 people. From 2005-2010, almost 3,800 people in the U.S. died from unintentional shootings. That’s almost as many victims as the number of American soldiers killed in the first seven years of the U.S.-Iraq War! And the greatest shame is the key word of this study: unintentional victims.
In the Christ Life, we reflect this same sad scenario. We “shoot ourselves in the foot” by trying to live for God on our own terms. Oswald Chambers says it this way: “Stubbornness and self-will will always stab Jesus Christ. It may hurt no one else, but it wounds His Spirit. Whenever we are obstinate and self-willed and set on our own ambitions, we are hurting Jesus.” To our shame, this is how many of us approach our spiritual walk and ministry.
When Jesus called out to Saul/Paul on the road to Damascus, Saul was serving God and disobeying Him at the same time. God calls to each of us to make sure we are doing this right. If the Spirit convicts you, please listen. The saddest casualties to see are those of self-destructing, self-willed, unintentional inflictors of spiritual harm. Live for God on His own terms! It’s much healthier for you! You are loved today!
You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth?” (Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬ NLT)
According to statisticbrain.com, of all persons that set New Year’s resolutions, only 8% are successful at achieving them, 49% have infrequent success, and 24% never accomplish a single one. Wow! And 1 out of 4 are done with them after the first week! By now, 1/3 of resolution setters that hit the gym, cut back spending, and attempted to stop a bad habit have given up and are back to their old ways that they didn’t like beforehand.
No matter what the endeavor, good things require hard work and sacrifice. A better marriage, healthier body, and a powerful spiritual life require for diligence on our part to keep doing the things that we know we are supposed to be doing. Then when those stumbling moments come and we question the “effort vs reward” factor, we must keep choosing “effort”, knowing it is worth it!
What is keeping you from a healthier body, stronger esteem, wealthier wallet, more intimate marriage, or a dynamic spiritual life? Ask God to help you conquer these or any other goal worth pursuing. Then when you stumble, and you will, He is there to pick you up and keep you going! You are loved today! Keep at it!
Back in 2012, the R&B star, Usher, claimed a delusional woman was stalking him and constantly showing up uninvited to his Georgia home. Usher eventually had to obtain a restraining order against 26-year-old Darshelle Jones-Rakestraw who claimed she was married to the singer. She assumed her attentions would stir his heart, only to find his lawyer stirred up instead!
We run into trouble when we try to please God by what we THINK God approves or condones. The only guide we have for pleasing the Lord is the Bible; anything else is simply presumptuous. Just because you do something “in Jesus name” or claim that He “knows your heart” doesn’t mean He approves! Our devotion isn’t shown by actions but by a true, daily, vibrant personal relationship.
Do as the Bible says, carefully determine what pleases God’s heart and leave opinion out. By searching God’s words, you’ll easily find the way to His heart and secure His blessings. Ms. Jones-Rakestraw got a rude awakening by operating in belief instead of facts. Don’t be like that! Know your God! You are loved by Him!