2012 has been a great year, and I share about an encounter I had with God that changed the way I view life. This sermon has become my “life mantra”, and I would love to share it with you.

Speak Life

As I reflect on Gods church I am compelled by His many qualities and attributes assigned to Him in scriptures. God is described as kind and merciful, yet also described as jealous and fierce.

I can see how Gods attributes are so much greater than our capacity to comprehend them. At times it seems as if we can only handle 1 of them at a time, and fail to see His diversity in people around us, because we are so focused with the attribute at hand.

I have never claimed to have all the answers, but understand that I serve the God who does and only through Him do I have a shot at not messing it up.

My comprehension of Gods attributes isn’t necessary to live out my faith. I must simply trust in Him and love others THROUGH Christ, so that He may fulfill Gods perfect will, and not just my limited fragment of what I assume He intends.

Everything around us is constantly beckoning our attention and time. Facebook, Family, Sports, Church, Friends, not to mention WORK…

In our culture and society every thing we do is an investment. The amount of time we all have is very little, and it is so difficult to manage our commitments without robbing from something else.

It has been my recent revelation that if my God is as BIG as I believe He is, then He would probably do a better job at managing my time than I do.

It all starts with your priorities, not your schedule.

I have quickly learned that managing the tension of my commitments isn’t about keeping a well organized schedule. Rather than keeping IMPORTANT what is really IMPORTANT. You will always find time to do the things you love. However are those things important? Who are they important to? God? Yourself?

I don’t stress about time anymore, rather I make sure my heart is clear and focused on what ever “present” God has me in.

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. :P

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.