The Transformative Power of Forgiveness
When we say this in the Lord’s Prayer, we are directly saying that we WILL forgive others. It’s a daily practice to which we must commit.
Jesus often created tension where he went – He mixed demographics and treated everyone equal. He often celebrated those who were less committed to Him. This is because His love and compassion abound, endlessly. We don’t have to earn God’s love.
“Forgive us our sins as we forgive others.” – Luke 15:11-32
When we say this in the Lord’s Prayer, we are directly saying that we WILL forgive others.
It’s a daily practice to which we must commit.
To forgive, we have to let go of fairness.
We have to accept being uncomfortable.
Forgiveness allows us to learn, grow, and heal.
To forgive will be hard, and that will pull us closer to God.
Accept His invite to draw closer to Him. Pray for help. Pray for forgiveness and forgive others.
Living Out Identity Theology: Embracing Your Purpose in God's Image
Never separate yourself from those with whom you don’t agree. Do as Jesus taught us – love them and support them.
Look into the right mirror. Faith comes to us by listening to the Word of God. Once faith comes to you, you have to take action with it. If you listen and do what it says, you will be blessed. You will see the best version of yourself when you live out the Word of God.
Identity Theology
1. What am I?
Genesis 1:26-27
We were created. God created us in his image. It wasn’t an accident.
We were made to be holy and complete. Our spirit, soul, and body make us complete.
Spirit = God
Soul = Others
Body = Environment
We are governed by our spirit. That is why we need God in our everyday lives.
2. Who am I?
2 Corinthians 6:18
We are each a child of God. We all have a family. We are not simply a servant. We are first a son or daughter of God.
We all have purpose. Before we are born, we are “set apart.” Our purpose is to help and fulfill our family in God.
3. Why am I? Why am I here?
John 1:10-13
We are here to have a relationship with God. God wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives.
We are here to make a difference. God puts a drive inside of us to make a difference.
Never separate yourself from those with whom you don’t agree. Do as Jesus taught us – love them and support them. They are your brother and sister. The answer to how you can help will be illuminated for you.
Keys to Open Life’s Doors
Jesus will continue to give you keys until he is done with you.
God’s call is not for your life to be “stuck.” God’s call is for abundance. God always sees our potential. He has prepared the way for us. He has laid a path for us. He will lead us to each new opportunity, new season, new experience, new lesson – with each, a new door for us to open and walk through. And He will provide a key to open these doors.
You will have keys to every door. – Matthew 19:16
Jesus will continue to give you keys until he is done with you.
5 Principles on Keys
Keys are personal. They are unique to your journey. Let the peace of God fill your heart and guide you to your keys.
Keys are usually hidden and require pursuit. Let your season of life allow you to grow deeper in your relationship with God.
Keys are sequential. Each door you move through prepares you for the next door you will enter. Never underestimate what God can do with an available heart.
Keys are seasonal. They must be used during their window of opportunity. Pray that you don’t miss an opportunity God has provided for you.
Keys require an act of faith. You must go all in.
Be a Beautiful Messenger that Shares the Word of God
Are you being the voice of God?
Be The Voice
I believe in God, so I spoke. – 2 Corinthians 4:13
Tell people of the greatness of God and how you have been saved by Him. Tell people how God has shown up in your life.
Be a Minister
It is not enough to say that you are religious. You have to live your faith. – James 1:26-27
The world needs to see how you love. Jesus gave us all the same instructions – to love one another.
Use the 3 H’s:
1. HEART: What’s weighing on your heart to do?
2. HEAD: What is your strategy to do something about it?
3. HANDS: Now, go do it!
Bring Glory to God
Be happy and grateful and let the world see it. – 2 Corinthians 4:6
Show your faith through good deeds. – James 2:18
Celebrate the gifts of this life granted to us by God. Love God and love your neighbors.
From Pain to Purpose: How God Can Transform Our Lives and Use Our Struggles for His Glory
God will transform you by changing the way you think. He will help you to learn and know his will for you. His purpose for you will be perfect.
God wants to take our worst and give us Joy, Beauty, and Praise. – Isaiah 61:3
God’s Exchange #1: Old for New
Anyone who is with Christ is a new person. All things are made new. – 2 Corinthians 5:17-18
We need to embrace the new life we live under the promise of God’s joy. If we fall, we must get up. This life is a gift from God.
God plans great things through us. God has given us the task of bringing people to him, especially those only you can reach. Envelop them into God’s joy.
God’s Exchange #2: Weakness into Strength
You must prevent pride in your own accomplishments. Pride will destroy. – 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
God’s grace empowers us to overcome all weakness. Celebrate your weakness; know that God will bring success to your life when you follow his guidance.
Seek continual renewal. Own your failures; do not cover them up. Let God cover them up.
For when I am weak, then I am strong.
We are a work in progress always.
God’s Exchange #3: Our Pain for His Purpose
Do not copy the customs of this world; let God change you. – Romans 2:12
God will transform you by changing the way you think. He will help you to learn and know his will for you. His purpose for you will be perfect.
A Vision for My Faith Community:
Know God, relationally
Find Freedom, entirely
Discover Purpose, gracefully
Make a Difference, collectively
The Power of Words: How They Shape Our Lives and Influence Others
Be slow to speak and quick to listen.
Words Have Power
Death and life are in the power of the tongue. – Proverbs 18:21
Pay attention to your words. They have power.
For out of abundance of your heart will come out of your mouth. – Matthew 12:34
Guard your lips by guarding your heart. Guard your heart by guarding your mind.
We take every though captive into the obedience of Christ. Fight with the Word of God. – 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Always ask yourself: is the thought from God? If the answer is no, then destroy it.
Shut Your Mouth – Do Your Job
Those who control their tongues will live a long life. – Proverbs 13:3-4
Let your words give grace to those who listen. – Ephesians 4:29
We will be held accountable for every careless word. The words can acquit you or condemn you. – Matthew 12:36-37
We have all heard the phrase, “actions speak louder than words.” So, remember that those who work hard will prosper. Be slow to speak and quick to listen.
Speak the Word
Man shall live by every word from the mouth of God. – Matthew 4:4
Your Word is a lamp onto my feet and a light unto my path. – Psalm 119:105
The Word of God is living and effective. – Hebrews 4:12
Listening to and following the Word of God will make us better if we allow it to do so. Believe in the Word of God – allow it to have power in your life. Your spiritual person must be bigger than your natural person.
Break the Curse
Now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, slander, and dirty language. – Colossians 3:8
Words of the wise bring healing. – Proverbs 12:18
Ask the Lord for more wisdom. Allow spiritual lessons to cleanse your heart and your mind with wisdom.
How can one curse those whom God has blessed? How can I condemn those who the Lord has not condemned? – Numbers 23:8
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so! – Psalm 107:2
Jesus never reacted to lies and slander; he only responded to truth. A gentle answer turns away wrath and fury. Always declare words of truth and love. Sow truth with the words you allow to come out of your mouth, and you will reap love, wisdom and redemption.
A Reminder of God's Gift of Freedom
The cross is more than a symbol of sacrifice.
The cross is more than a symbol of sacrifice. It is a reminder of the many freedoms given to us by God through his only Son.
Freedom from Sickness and Pain
He bore our sickness, pain and offenses. – Isaiah 53:4-6
He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross. – 1 Peter 2:24
By His wounds, we are healed. And you are worthy of this healing, or God wouldn’t have created you.
Look for your own testimonial of how God has provided you with healing and freedom from pain in your life. Seek to share it with others.
Freedom from Sin and Our Past
God gave Jesus as a sacrifice for sin. If you believe, then you are made right. – Romans 3:25
Jesus canceled your past by nailing it to the cross. – Colossians 2:14
The removal and forgiveness of all of your sin was freely given to you by God and His Son. This joyful gift is forever yours to cherish. Acknowledge it and rejoice in it.
Freedom from Chaos
He made peace with everything. – Colossians 1:20
Stress comes from focusing on that which doesn’t truly matter. Things that are visible are brief and fleeting, while things that are invisible are everlasting. Pray for everything. Make peace in those around you, and you will enjoy everlasting freedom from chaos.
Freedom from Emptiness
Christ lives in me. – Galatians 2:20
If anyone wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34
We live a life of purpose every day. Jesus provides that purpose. Stop looking for the easy way(s) to find fulfillment in your life. The pathway to Jesus is narrow. Say yes to the right things. Keep your focus on Jesus. What you own in this life is there only because it was God’s will.
Keep your eyes on Jesus. – Hebrews 12:2
Jesus found joy in the cross because He knew He’d be at the Right Hand of God. And Mary, even as she experienced the greatest depths of sorrow witnessing her only child die on the cross, she also rejoiced, for she knew what was to come. She and Jesus knew the freedom that He would provide us all in His death.
The Cross: A Symbol of Freedom
The cross is a symbol of freedom. Freedom from the curse, condemnation, care and fear.
When Jesus died on the cross for us, God nailed the sins of our past, emptiness, sickness, pain, and chaos to that cross. This is all our freedom that Jesus has paid for. The cross is a symbol of freedom.
1.Freedom from the Curse
Jesus has rescued us from the curse of the law. The law was the Old Testament. We don’t have to worry about losing God or being punished. Jesus made it so that our salvation is freely given. - Galatian 3:13
Sin is no longer your master. You live under the Freedom of God’s Grace. – Romans 6:14
2. Freedom from Condemnation
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. - Romans 8:1
You are not good enough, but Jesus is. If we were good enough, God would not have sacrificed his best to provide us with free lives. We are free from the guilt that condemnation brings.
Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. – 1 John 3:20
God did not send Jesus to condemn us. – John 3:17
No one will condemn us because Christ Jesus died for us. – Romans 8:34
Jesus is continually crying out for us. He desires for us to rely on him. When we reach for him, we experience freedom.
3.Freedom from Care
May I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord. – Galatians 6:14
Because of that cross, our interest in this world has been crucified. Jesus releases us from the need of material things. These things don’t make a true difference in our lives.
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you. – 1 John 2:15-17
Love God the Father first. The things of this world will fade away but the love of God will be everlasting.
Set your mind on the things above. – Colossians 3:2
Do this and God will use you for good things in your Earthly life.
4.Freedom from Fear
This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged – for God is with you wherever you go. – Joshua 1:9
There is no fear in perfect love. Perfect love casts out fear. Fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears is not perfect in love. – 1 John 4:18
When fear comes, don’t just “faith it out.” Remind yourself of God’s perfect love. Allow God’s love to fill you to drive out fear.
Love is patient, love is kind;
Love endures all things;
Love conquers everything.
Love is God and God is love.
Freedom from Loneliness: Finding Community and Healing through Jesus
Give Jesus everything you are struggling with – He will give you strength. When we turn toward Jesus, we are never truly alone.
Even before the recent pandemic, a January 2020 study reported that more than three in five Americans are lonely, “with more and more people reporting feeling like they are left out, poorly understood and lacking companionship.” Pervasive loneliness “has widespread effects” and is strongly linked to mental health issues. The study reported that “evidence is really pointing to the fact that relationships – the kinds of bonds you have with people, how close you are, how connected you feel to others – impact your physical health as well.”
During this Lenten season, we turn to the symbol of the cross with more intention. The cross reminds us of the many everlasting and unconditional gifts Jesus gave to us through his life and death, among those:
1. Freedom from Loneliness
Anyone who does the will of Jesus is my brother.
- Matthew 12:46-50
Turning to Jesus gives us a spiritual family that is just as important and powerful and unconditional as our biological family.
God’s kingdom is made through these powerful relationships. Step into community – don’t allow yourself to remain isolated.
A large crowd was in pain with the widow who lost her only son. The crowd helped her move toward Jesus.
- Luke 7:11-12
2. A Village to Encounter Jesus
Gather in my name, I will be there.
- Matthew 18:20
When Jesus saw the widow, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry,” he said.
Luke 7:13
We need to look for opportunities to provide compassion for others. We need to help them. In helping others, we move toward Jesus.
Jesus told him to sit up. Because of the faith of the crowd, she was given the gift of her son’s life.
- Luke 7:14-16
3. A Village to Bring Us Healing
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that we can be healed.
- James 5:16
Be a family for others. Be strength for others. Help others encounter Jesus.
Give Jesus everything you are struggling with – He will give you strength. When we turn toward Jesus, we are never truly alone.
Building a High-Performing Team: Lessons from Proverbs 27 on Recruiting and Cultivating Talent
How do we recruit the best people for our team?
In Proverbs 27 we are told that “Iron sharpens iron.” Good people will make you better, this is true in business as well.
How do we recruit the best people for our team?
Humble yourself and have a servant mindset
Identify traits that make people great and look for them on your current team.
Recruit people with these traits onto your team. Attract them to your business vision and not just you.
Pay attention to who gets excited about your vision.
For more details on recruiting the best people for your team, watch the 3 minute video below:
Leading with a Christ-centered mindset: How my faith influences my approach to leadership and business
As a leader in business, it is our responsibility to develop and pour into our talent. It is our job to make sure we are hiring the best culture fits to grow our company.
In business, people are our advantage. Technology can be duplicated and changed, but the people in your company is what shapes the culture and business.
How does being rooted in Christ influence our leadership styles as business leaders? How are we equipping and moivating people on our team to be their best?
As a leader in business, it is our responsibility to develop and pour into our talent. It is our job to make sure we are hiring the best culture fits to grow our company.
Check out the video linked below to 3 key points about leading a business as a Christian leader.
Freedom From Selfishness
My grandmother used to say, “You can either worry or pray; you cannot do both. Let go and let God.”
Where you find selfishness and jealousy, there will be disorder.
James 3:15-16
You must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.
Matthew 16:24
When you only think of yourself, it is impossible to hear Jesus.
Jesus wants to be the force that helps generosity flow through us.
Problematic Thinking: “I think about myself all the time.”
Jesus thinks about me so I don’t have to focus on myself.
Those who receive Jesus are freed from ourselves.
2 Corinthians 5:15
Problematic Thinking: “Will there be enough for me?”
When we obsess over our own needs exclusively, this prevents us from seeing those who need help. We must unconditionally believe God has enough for us.
Use my little to provide a lot for others.
Philippians 4:19
Jesus will grow the generosity inside us.
2 Corinthians 9:10
Problematic Thinking: “Who will fight for my share?”
God has something special for all of us and no one can take it away from us.
We are God’s masterpiece.
Ephesians 2:10
Jesus has an inheritance marked for us. It is kept in heaven and protected for us.
1 Peter 1:4
Approach life by asking, “What does God have for us?” rather than by focusing on increasing our own Earthly gains. We must seek to value others above ourselves and pay attention to the needs of everyone around us. When we acknowledge that God is in charge, we will see his resources flow through us, and we will have more.
The generous will prosper.
Proverbs 11:25
The world needs people who will think of others first. With every step we take, may we understand that God has a place and a purpose for us.
My grandmother used to say, “You can either worry or pray; you cannot do both. Let go and let God.” When we stop concerning ourselves with solely our own needs, we make way for God to guide us in leading a generous life. In doing so, we gain ground for God and we fulfill a glorious life.
Selfishness = Self-Obsessed
Selflessness = Generosity
Unlocking the Power of Your Inner Circle: Insights from Church for Personal and Professional Success
If you are trying to achieve something extraordinary, it takes extraordinary people around you to help you achieve it and push you to be a better person.
Examine if your business team is built for success.
I am in between books right now, so I thought I might share something I learned at church on Sunday. It’s not necessarily a new concept, but it is a good reminder for those of us that are leading people. The whole sermon was about your inner circle and making sure you are paying attention to the people that are closest to you – in your personal life, but also in every aspect of your life, to include your business. Jim Rohn famously said, “You are the average of the 5 people closest to you.” And I wholeheartedly agree that the people in our lives help shape our norms and our reality, thereby having profound influence on who we become and what we build together.
In the Bible, Jesus talks about surrounding yourself with extraordinary people. In Proverbs 27, He says, “iron sharpens iron,” referring to who great people make each other better. There are numerous stories in the Bible depicting how Jesus displayed how important it was to be cognizant of and intentional about the people around you. He was in the “business” of executing miracles, and he knew that it wasn’t solely up to him to execute those miracles. There are multiple stories where he rid the room of people who didn’t believe, who didn’t exhibit a strong enough faith to witness the miracle. And as soon as he was surrounded only by those who were true believers, miracles happened.
The Business Application:
1. We first must humble ourselves and ensure we are personally in a position where we can recruit extraordinary people into our lives and not be something that makes us self-conscious. You want people working for you and around you that are better than you, especially in the areas at which you yourself do not excel. This will motivate you to grow and get better yourself.
2. Identify the traits that you believe create greatness – greatness in your company and also greatness in your life in general. Take a hard look at the people currently surrounding you and ensure they exhibit those traits of greatness.
3. Go and recruit those great people. Meet with people often and share you vision and purpose of your company. Evaluate if they are attracted to what you are creating; and if they exhibit those traits of greatness you seek, and they are attracted to your company, find a way to bring those people onto your team. One word of caution: when you bring new people in, naturally they will be attracted to the leader of the company – who is often the person who recruited them – but you, as a leader, ultimately need to transition the nexus of their excitement from you to the purpose of the company at large. If the whole value proposition for their employment is only you, it is very difficult to retain that person long-term. You need them to be genuinely excited about the vision and purpose of your company.
4. In Matthew 7, Jesus says not to share your secrets with those who don’t treasure them. If you are sharing your vision and your purpose, and someone is not excited about it, they are likely not a good fit for your team. Everyone must have a reason to be excited about the business they are in so they can give 100% effort to it. Of course, there are seasons in a business where you are not exactly excited about what you have to do; but in general, you should feel excited about the future of the company and where you are going, the people you are going to help, and how you are going to help them. When you identify with that vision, not only are you okay doing something in the short term that doesn’t excite you, you are furthermore going to be extremely motivated to go give it your all to move the company in the right direction.
5. In all aspects of your life, pay attention to your inner circle. If you are trying to achieve something extraordinary, it takes extraordinary people around you to help you achieve it and push you to be a better person.
Finding Rest in God: Recovering Your Life from Burnout
Are you burned out?
Are you burned out? Go to God. Get away with God and you’ll recover your life. God will show you how to take a rest. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. God won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.
God doesn’t demand anything of you. Rather, he invites you.
Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.
Matthew 11:28
1. Know God Intimately
And this is the way to have eternal life – to know, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one He sent to Earth.
John 17:3
Jesus came to Earth to show people the way of God. He came to serve God’s people so they could find their relationship with God.
This is what the Lord says; don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that you truly know me and understand that I am the lord that demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the Earth, and that I delight in those things.
Jeremiah 9:23-24
God wants is to know his character. He loves us just as we are. He wants us to know that he is always there for us. The more we know God, the more we will desire to know God even more.
2. Freedom from Guilt, Shame and Pain
For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on Earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
Colossians 1:19-22
We may be a product of our past, but we are not prisoners of it.
3. Discover Your God-Given Purpose
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Romans 8:28
View your precious life with the understanding that your life has been all for good. Follow the path of your life and it will show you where you can help the world. Don’t waste your pain – turn it into purpose.
4. Make a Difference in Others
You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using My name.
John 15:16
Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
James 1:27
Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
Forget Religion, Find God
We should NEVER allow our religion to interfere with our relationship with God.
In society today, people can often differentiate themselves by religion. And there are many ways to define the means by which people orient themselves in the world with reference to both ordinary and extraordinary powers, meanings, and values. Religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things – beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a Church, all those who adhere to them. Religion has been defined as a “cultural system” that formulates conceptions of a general order of existence which acts to establish powerful, persuasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations.
And while I must admit that I, too, gather in a Church among people of similar moods and motivations, I am reminded that despite different religions across this world, we are all a part of the same one community as children of God. Religion is just a man-made construct, in which man teaches ideas as if they come to him directly from God.
Truly, though, there is only one Teacher, and every one of us – every religion – is equal under God. We should NEVER allow our religion to interfere with our relationship with God. So many people feel judged by the religious; it should be the exact opposite when we go to church. All are welcome, and God is there waiting for us. If we wish to know God in our daily lives, we must seek and serve God, as He serves us.
God is good.
The Lord is good to everyone. He showers his compassion on all.
Psalm 145:8-9
The lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, and filled with unfailing love. Everything that is good comes from God. Remember that you have nothing to hide from God. He loves you compassionately and unconditionally.
Love well.
Love each other just as I have loved you.
John 13:34
Love each other as much as we can. Treat others with a deep, unconditional love - a love for humanity, for all mankind created graciously by God.
A pure heart encounters God.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Matthew 5:8
God makes our heart pure. Look to God to guide you. If you strive to live your life with a servant’s heart, God will purify you day after day.
The greatest of us must serve the most. The humble shall be exalted. Wash the inside of the cup and the outside will be taken care of. Stop worrying so much about what you look like on the outside and look inward, as God sees you.
All believers will be filled with love that comes from pure heart, a clear conscious, and genuine faith.
- 1 Timothy 1:5
A clear conscious permits true worship.
Christ will purify us so that we can worship the living God. He will clear our conscious.
Hebrews 9:14
Genuine faith moves the immovable.
Have faith in God.
Mark 11:22-23
You must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. God will come to you when you offer up your true belief in him.
Written by Schuyler Williamson
Believe in the Best and Prepare for the Worse
Hear God, and you will understand that it is only God who understands how and when things will happen on Earth.
Do not let your heart be troubled … You will be where I am. – John 14:1-3
Bring your life into the church. Follow God and you will understand the truth and experience grace.
In Revelations, we read that anyone who hears and obeys the Lord shall receive a special blessing.
Hear God, and you will understand that it is only God who understands how and when things will happen on Earth. We must believe in the best, and prepare for the worst:
Be Ready
Plan as if Jesus will not arrive during your Earthly lifetime, but live as if He is coming today.
Two will be working and one will go. You must keep watch. You must be ready all of the time because the Son of Man will come when least expected. – Matthew 24: 40-44
2. Be Assured
Your salvation is certain with Jesus.
Declare Jesus as Lord from your heart and you will be saved. – Romans 10:9
No one can rob you of your salvation. – John 10:28
3. Be Faithful
Turn to Jesus when you are in need. The righteous may stumble and fall down seven times, but they will reach for Jesus and rise up on that eighth time. All you need is Jesus.
Some will turn away and follow deceptive spirits and teachings. – Timothy 4:1
The one who remains faithful to the end will be saved. – Matthew 24:13
Written by Schuyler Williamson
Allow Room for God
Pour yourself into prayer. Serve others, and serve God’s purpose He has for you.
There are many ways to feel and see God show up in your life. Adjust your eye sight so you can see God’s next move. Focus on the current big picture instead of just how God has showed up for you in the past. We may not always understand it, or like it, but that doesn’t mean God isn’t at work, building good things for us. At a recent Sunday sermon, we discussed many analogies for the presence of God and His love for us in our lives.
… A farmer plows the land. He knows that rain will come, and bring growth and life to his crops, so he looks for seeds to plant in the land. The holes created by loss in our lives will be filled by Jesus. Something good will sprout from loss, from the holes in your life. Water them by pouring out your love for God. He will nourish your garden.
… A car needs oil to run. We cannot borrow someone else’s oil from other’s cars – we must find our own oil. The Holy Spirit is your oil. Pour yourself into prayer. Serve others, and serve God’s purpose He has for you. You will be filled with the “oil” – the Holy Spirit – you need to live a glorious life.
God is looking to fill you with the Holy Spirit. Do you allow room for God in your life?
Written by Schuyler Williamson
Prayer Connects You to God
We know prayer is powerful, so when do we pray? How do we pray? For what do we pray?
In Acts 4:23-24, the Bible tells us how Peter and John were not afraid of man’s threats. Instead, they turned to prayer to communicate with God. They prayed for God to hear their needs, for God to provide them with boldness, and for God to provide them with supernatural healing.
We know prayer is powerful, so when do we pray? How do we pray? For what do we pray?
Pray constantly. Don’t strive for perfect timing.
- Romans 12:12
Pray Upward. Honor and worship him.
Pray Outward. Put other’s needs ahead of your own.
Pray inward. Put your needs in front of God.
Pray forward. Ask God to get ahead of you and prepare you to defeat evil.
- Matthew 6:9-11
Pray for everything. Do not worry about anything.
You can either worry or pray – you cannot do both. Tell God what you need and thank him for what he has done for you.
- Phillippians 4:6
Written by Schuyler Williamson
Do From Righteousness, Not for Righteousnes
Being courageous is doing the right thing when that is hard.
The Birth of Religion
In Genesis 3:7, we read that their eyes were open and they realized they were naked. Their realization of their lack of clothing represented their loss of God in their lives. So, they sewed fig leaves together to clothe themselves. They tried to help God solve the problem. However, this was a man-made idea to solve the problem.
We all have sinned and lost the glory of God. – Romans 3:23
All of our righteous acts are like filthy rags. – Isaiah 64:6
Religion Helps Us Strive to Earn Eternal Life
What must I do to inherit eternal life? – Mark 10:17-27
Inheritance means that someone else did all of the work, and you received something because of the relationship you had with that person.
Listen to God’s commandments. Do not allow self-righteousness to interrupt the presence of Jesus in your life. Do not allow yourself to be tricked into collecting fig leaves. Focus on your relationship with God so he may know you. Sell everything you have and follow God. Understand that you are naked without Jesus.
Eternal Life is Knowing God
The problem with being rich is when it controls you. When the rich trust in their wealth, their self-righteousness keeps them from entering the Kingdom of God.
God has dressed me with the clothing of salvation. – Isaiah 61:10
Jesus taught us that it is impossible to get into the Kingdom of God by our own acts alone. It requires God.
We must seek not to do things for righteousness, but rather to do them from righteousness. Strive to let God lead the way.
Written by Schuyler Williamson
Reflecting on Courage
Being courageous is doing the right thing when that is hard.
With the gifts of time and perspective, we know that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was courageous. At the time, he was extremely unpopular in the eyes of the American public at large. It took tremendous courage to be that unpopular, and to continue moving forward, doing what he could, where he was (which was sometimes jail), with the resources available to him.
He urged us to build “dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.” Being courageous is doing the right thing when that is hard.
But what is it that makes doing the right thing so hard?
If we just pursue God's word, things become very simple. When we pay attention to what society would have us do, or how society would have us think (rather than God), the right thing becomes difficult. When we fast from something that adversely affects our decisions, we disconnect ourselves from the power that creates weakness. Such powerful forces that create weakness may be TV shows, social media, and people that don’t share a belief in God. I'm not saying we should never watch TV again. Rather, if we are having trouble being courageous, it's time to fast from those things that are negatively affecting our thoughts. When you seek restoration by turning to God – rather than from "x, y, z" substitutes – comfort, pleasure, peace, love, etc. come to you. You then crave the Bible and your relationship with God.
Business Application
We can apply the same thing to business. What are we relying on that makes us feel better instead of acknowledging a symptom of sickness? Remember that being busy doesn't necessarily create abundance. Busyness is only useful when we are busy on the right things. Where could the business fast to create space for something more productive?
Written By Schuyler Williamson
