The Church already has victory over the enemy, yet most Christians still hand over the keys and our wealth to the enemy. WILLINGLY!!

Satan has connived us not to resist him anymore. He speaks lies and convinces us that we are too busy, or even worse confuses us as to what we are actually called to do. He complicates and muddies the water so that we fumble and stumble through with good intentions. And when things matter most, he convinces us not to fight for what really matters.

Satan has convinced us that our community is not dying, and caused us to forget that our culture and our youth are worse off than ever. He has taken away our urgency and caused us to be complacent. HE HAS CONVINCED US NOT TO FIGHT, so that he can WRECK HAVOC in our community.

As a Christian, I no longer want to give Satan what he wants. I will no longer let this slimy, conniving, LIAR tell me how to live in my community.

In my local community I am involved with a few churches that meet in Unity for prayer. Our vision is to see a GOD MOVEMENT in our local county. Every month we meet on the 1st monday evening, and every month I see God move and shake the people that attend. What saddens me is the people that know about it, yet willingly dismiss the importance of praying for our community and the power we have when Christians UNITE!

How is God moving in your County? Are you following Him or just giving Satan what he wants?

Mark 2:27 Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.

God has called each of us to set aside a time of rest in which we honor HIM and not ourselves. So often I find my “time off” to be clustered with things that I need to catch up on. In churches today, people getting “burnt out” is a common sight. As Christians we “labor in Christ” name only to find ourselves empty and on our wits end.

As Christ calls us he clearly states that as we take his “yoke” we find that the burden he ask of us, is light and easy.

That is a far cry from the people I see involved in ministry today. As a leader in the church, it’s so easy to find myself picking up more and more “things” to do… But to what end? And to who’s cost? By doing everything for everyone, who am I serving?

There are several things that I think need to fall in line in order to truly answer these questions…

In my own life, I found my first step is to align my priorities.

What has God called me to do?? What else have I picked up along the way??

Make a list of the time commitments you have in your life. Now sort them based on what you see priority. Use this time to truly seek God. This process has taken me days, months, and years. Finding your “priority” is finding your call. Look at your commitments and evaluate them based on what God has called you to do, and equipped you for.

Trim the fat, it’s so easy to get involved in everything, simply because you “can”. Shoot, you may even be extremely gifted and good at something. But your talent doesn’t always determine what Gods called you to. Obedience isn’t about what’s convenient. You must seek God in every commitment you make.

Are you sensitive to His voice?

Honoring the sabbath isn’t about legalistic scheduling. It’s about being obedient to His voice and what He has called us to.

More and more I have become aware of the schemes of the enemy. In the scriptures Satan, is reffered to as the father of lies. His greatest power rest in his ability to deceive and manipulate. Given that we are born into sin the odds play into his favor, which is why even Christ referred to him as the “prince of this world”.

However even amidst the odds, God’s power is greater and has redeemed us from our slavery to sin, and entanglement of death.Our lives were purchased back from the enemy, through the death of Christ on the cross.

I state this simply to declare the victory that we have over any scheme the enemy has to offer. Christ has risen and conquered on our behalf. In Him alone do we find victory and prosperity over the enemy.

It’s only when we embrace the truth, that we are enabled to disarm a lie.

I have decided to make this the first post of a series in which I discuss the enemie’s schemes… 

How have you been battling lately?

This is my prayer tonight for someone that is close to me, yet far from God. The more I am able to dwell in the goodness of the Lord, the more I am reminded of those whom I love that don’t. How tragic.

Father, I lift up __________ to You. God, I thank you for bringing them into my life, I thank you for allowing me to get to know their heart. I thank you for being a Good God amidst all the uncertainty in their lives. Father I pray for your spirit to hold them, I ask for your spirit to peel away any layers of bitterness and anxiousness that cloud them. I pray for your light to pierce into their murky emotions and bring peace and hope. May your light burst through their hearts, that your love may be revealed to them through your Son, Jesus Christ. Lord, you are the GOOD shepard and we are Your sheep. Father may you hold _________ in Your hand… and what You hold let no man or power snatch away. In the name of Your Son that died on the cross for my sin, and rose so that we may have victory through Him. Amen

Psalm 34: 8 Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! (NLT)

It’s been a tough transition from spending 2 weeks in Hawaii with my beautiful wife to coming back to Rhode Island and getting back to the grind. The toughest part for me has been coming back with a fresh pair of eyes, and realizing how quick of a pace we try to keep with our schedules.

Since I’ve been back on July 27th I’ve only managed to spend 1 night dedicated solely to my wife. I’ve found myself so consumed with work, church, and friends that I’ve literally felt emotionally and spiritually out of breath. It’s such an odd feeling to describe, and I’m well aware of the bible verses people will throw at me if I share that with religious folk.

In Matthew 6:33 it says this

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. (NLT)”

Typically feeling spiritually exasperated would reveal my lack of either bible devotions or quiet time… But I have been so convicted as of late, of legalism and anything that suggest I need to do A + B in order to receive from God. Seeking Him first isn’t about doing your daily duty, it’s about making yourself available for Him. In my own time while seeking God I often find him leading me away from “church” and more into relationships. The “church” can sometimes be an obstacle of seeking Him first because we are comfortable with just doing something to keep us busy and not living out our ministry.

While seeking Him, I’m often led to my ministry as a husband and loving my wife the way God has loved His church. I’m also led to take time and listen to the friends God places in my life that are struggling. Seeking Him first isn’t about putting in your time, it’s about putting God in all of your time. It’s making yourself available for God and desiring His will above your own.

As for my spiritual short of breathiness, I’m taking the time to reevaluate what I am doing and making sure that I am seeking Him not my own ambitions. The toughest thing to I’ve learned is that just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.

This sermon was recorded at EFC Newport during the First service. It starts off a bit emotionally after my Dad passed out due to some complications in the beggining of it, and had to be taken to the Hospital on a stretcher.

However even amidst that I felt led to continue on, knowing my Dad was in good hands and that there was nothing I could do to mend the situation.

This sermon has been something that I’ve been wrestling with for many months. I am excited to share it with you… enjoy!

07-31-2011.mp3 Listen on Posterous

We can only truly love one another through Jesus Christ. Our love outside of Him is self-serving and natrually perverted towards sin.

It’s like a genetic disease that you’re born with, slowly killing you from the time of your first breath. The symptoms seem natural and don’t give any warning signs of your dreadful fate. As you grow, your heart seems to yearn for more than your flesh can suffice. Nothing is enough.. sex, money, drugs, fame, family. It all leaves you on empty, no matter how much you put into your tank. You’re dying.. and you don’t even know it.

As Christians we carry on like patients living in remission of our disease. Flareups happen occasionally and drive us into downward spirals. In those times we either isolate and separate ourselves from God or anyone else that could help. Or we learn to mask our flareup and fake it through Sunday just enough to skate by without being noticed.

The hardest part of living with this disease, is understanding we don’t have to anymore. God in His great mercy took upon himself all the sin of the world, and died as a result. He took our genetic disorder away from us, and placed it upon Himself.. WILLINGLY! So that we could know what and how to truly live.

The question I ask myself, is why do we continue to sin?

Being a Christian isn’t about being perfect and following all the rules. It’s about learning to LIVE and finding the Life God intended.

The Gospel or Good news is that God sent His son to take upon our terminal condition and die on the cross. And as we lay our lives at the foot of the Cross, God extends His grace through His son, and gives us His life in place of our own.

Their is no cure for our human condition, only an alternative. The alternative is to cling to Christ as your life, and let your life be crucified with Him.

“For through the Law I died to the Law, that I might live unto God. I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and delivered Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:19-20)

Are you aware of sin patterns in your life?

How do you safeguard yourself from temptations?

However I’ve been processing on my own what connotations I associate with the word Grace. For me, or most.. Grace is equated to tolerance. Tolerance is equated to us not liking or having to love, but dealing with things. For example: Homosexuals. In our Christian culture it is easy to tolerate “gays” and label it grace. But secretly we judge and condemn them for their actions. However Grace as it’s defined is much more than that. It’s uncomfortable and would require me to actually love someone unbiasedly.

Now love is also a tricky word in our culture. The word Love gives images of valentines hearts and fluffy bears that are made for cuddling. But love as Christ demonstrated, takes things to a different plane. Love isn’t a sticker you give people, it’s a commitment to a relationship that will force you to lay down your life.

As a man, I find myself attracted to words that emanate power. Grace and Love aren’t those words. Our first thoughts of them give signs of weakness or being soft. But grace that hurts… that’s a different story.

Our Ten Commandments

1. Christ is the center and authority of our relationship
2. Value and cultivate long lasting friendships
3. Protect each other’s trust with open communication
4. Maintain a healthy balance of time management with one another
5. Live on a budget
6. Never willfully be alone with someone of the opposite sex
7. Our marriage is our first and highest calling in everything
8. Encourage one another in a healthy lifestyle
9. We are in agreement before making decisions
10. Listen first, speak last