Abundant Life Blog

Depression

2009-07-10T19:25:35+00:00

Are you depreSSed? This Sunday I'm going to unravel the story of Elijah and how to get depressed in 4 easy steps. Hope to see you at Abundant Life Church this weekend!

Freedom

2009-07-03T19:29:52+00:00

"It was for freedom that Christ set us free..." Sometimes we get bogged down in a quandary about God's will. And often we worry about decisions which are simply not a great issue with God (where to go to school, what job to take, where to live, etc.). We need to orient our lives on the clear statements of Scripture regarding God's will. And here is one: "For freedom Christ has set us free." Christ's will for you is that you enjoy freedom. Where you go to school, what job you do, where you live, etc., are not nearly so crucial as whether you stand fast in freedom. If they were, the Bible would have commanded those things as clearly as it here commands freedom. But it doesn't. So your enjoyment of freedom is much more important to God than many of the day-to-day decisions that fill us with so much concern. A good test of your priorities in life would be whether you are just as concerned about the command to enjoy your freedom as you are about other pressing decisions in your life. Do you exercise as much diligence in prayer and study to stand fast in freedom as you do to decide about home, job, school, marriage partner? It is a clear and unqualified command: "Stand fast and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." This is the will of God for you: your freedom. Uncompromising, unrelenting, indomitable freedom. For this Christ died. For this he rose. For this he sent his Spirit. There is nothing he wills with more intensity under the glory of his own name than this: your freedom. Amongst the many freedoms we enjoy as Americans, may we also remember this July 4th the will for us to be free in Christ Jesus!

My God is Jehovah

2009-06-25T19:55:15+00:00

Elijah the Tishbite was a great man of God that we see in the Bible for the first time in 1 Kings 17. God instructed him to tell evil King Ahab that there would not be dew or rain for a few years except at his word. It is the beginning of an incredible journey for Elijah where God told him to hide in the Kerith Ravine a place meaning to cut off or to cut down. A.W. Tozer said, "It is doubtful that God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply." The seasons of Elijah's life at this point went from isolated pain - total dependence - unconditional obedience. In verse 24 he was not known by where he was from anymore but from whom he is from. Elijah comes face to face with the meaning of his name which means "The Lord is my God." In your pain and mine do you know that God will hide us sometimes and do more in us so that He can do more through us? Make time for this great read in 1 Kings 17 and let it encourage you today!

Fear

2009-06-17T12:36:28+00:00

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified, terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." ---- FDR Fear can be very crippling. It is given into easily, but a life constricted and dictated to by fear was not and is not God's plan for you! 2 Timothy 1:7 says," for God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Fear is not of God- so we know where it comes from and we know that Satan is here to steal, kill and destroy. This is exactly what he wants for us- to keep us from the awesome and amazing plans that God has. So what are you afraid of? Are your fears keeping you from moving forward in your faith? Are they hindering you from living out the purpose that God has planned for your life? I challenge you to step out; face your fears, trust in God, and live doing what you were created to do.

Superhero

2009-06-10T13:15:26+00:00

I have a suspicion that in all of us there is at least a slight desire to be like a Superhero. I mean, who wouldn't want to at least have the ability of heat vision, super speed, unmatched strength, to fly and leap tall buildings in a single bound? Sign me up! Guess what? You already ARE a SUPERHERO... I'm not kidding. Not in some Saturday morning cartoon way...in fact not in any physical way at all. You have spiritual powers that go way beyond anything our tight suited friends ever dreamed of. Look at this: (2 Corinthians 5:17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come We're talking about major metamorphisis here, because the moment you trusted Christ as your only hope of salvation, you were transformed into a brand new person with the power of the living God living inside you. Mark 16:15-18 (NKJV) 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So what are you waiting for? You have already been 'morphed', so join your Christian friends and pray, serve at the local church, share your faith, and resist sin with the energy and urgency of a Superhero that has lives to save!

The Land of Uz

2009-06-03T13:46:07+00:00

Everybody suffers. Job lived in the land called Uz where he lost everything what he did not know is that his faithfulness had meaning beyond his wildest dreams. He did not know that something cosmic and eternal was at stake in his little life, in his little time on this earth in his deep suffering. Sitting on an ash heap, scrapping boils off his skin - broke, sick, confused, mocked, abandoned, helpless, alone. Job's faithfulness and suffering was being used by God to vindicate God's whole wild adventure in covenant love. His honesty and perserverance have been used now for thousands of years across the continents, across cultures, across the languages to inspire billions of people who live in the land of Uz. Hang on Job, keep going, don't let go, don't give up. The writer wants us to say that not just to Job but to say it to ourselves, to say it to each other, to say it to people that are all around us who suffer, who anguish, who agonize, who hurt, who question, who don' know, who don't understand, to say to them, "Don't give up. Don't you let go. You hang on, you keep going, you persevere, because it matters more than you can imagine." We live in the land of Uz and everybody will suffer sometime or another. Why? I don't know why. How long will last? I don't know how long. Does your response matter? More than you can possibly imagine, more than you can even dream, so don't let go. There is this great big God!

Hold Tightly to your Dreams

2009-05-27T12:35:24+00:00

"...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6) Over Mother's Day Weekend many of the women here at ALC attended the Reveal Women's Conference. We had a wonderful time and God did incredible things. He truly revealed himself. He spoke to many of us in ways that we could have hardly imagined. Whether God spoke to you at this conference, or in your bedroom one night before going to sleep, or in your car on your way to work- don't forget what He has spoken to you. The hopes, dreams, and promises that He has placed before you; don't let them go! Write them down, read them, pray about them, meditate on them- put them in your heart. Guard them from the enemy who only comes to steal, kill, and distroy. Give them back to God for He is faithful and He will complete it!

The power of a word

2009-05-13T02:53:16+00:00

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29 Isn't it amazing the power a spoken word can have? Whether it be a word of praise, encouragment, or destruction. Every word that comes from our mouth has the amazing possibility to help build someone up or tear someone down. We have all experienced both sides of someone using words in a positive and negative way. Maybe words of encouragment come naturally to you or maybe they don't. Reguardless, look for an opportunity in every situation to build others up!

A Woman of Influence

2009-05-07T15:25:56+00:00

Proverbs 31 no doubt gets more airtime on Mother's Day than any other passage in the Bible. The majority of the proverb describes a virtuous woman who leads her home with discipline, integrity, and giftedness. This wife and mother is a leader not because she tries to be one, but because of who she is. The breakdown of the chapter goes like this: her assests, achievements, attitudes, and her applause. We are embarking on a an incredible weekend here at Abundant Life it is our second annual "Reveal" conference. We know that God is going to do incredible things through every woman that attends. Like never before do we need woman to take there rightful place in our homes, work place, and in this world! Ladies I encourage you to be a part of this great gathering of woman and let God reveal His will for your life so that you can shine out. Best of all it is free!

Do You Need Another Family?

2009-04-30T23:16:17+00:00

Everyone needs a family. I am thankful to God for my biological family everyday they are such an incredible blessing in my life. They are there with me in the thin and thick of it and even when I am not the easiest to live with. Also, I am very thankful for the spiritual family that God has given me here at Abundant Life Church. I am not sure who is more blessed me or the people at this great church when we gather together every week and celebrate what God has done. It is incredible to know that beside my biological family that I have a spiritual family that encourages and prays for me. Did you know that biological families are historical they are confined to time and space but not spiritual families they are eternal and will always be with us. Every person alive is looking for acceptance and to know that they are loved warts and all. My encouragement to you is even though you have a biological family find a spiritual family that loves you unconditionally that is what Abundant Life is to me.