Navigate (John 14:1-31)

Hey all,

The word of the day is “navigate.” Most of us have a pretty clear idea of the obligations to our jobs, family, and all the other stuff in our lives you know what you have to get done? Can you prioritize your week and still leave time for play and relaxation. If you do not look ahead now, chances of burning out increase.

“Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.”

~John 14:10

Planning is important. Jesus laid out a plan for the future, as he has promised to prepare a place for each of us who call him Lord (v.1-4). That is rad! Jesus knew that his followers dealt with stress and anxiety and all the other stuff that came with daily life. Yet he told them to not be troubled and believe in him. That is a pretty bold statement to make. But I guess JC was a pretty bold dude.What is it that you can do to not only add God to your schedule, but to let the Spirit permeate your daily activities? Are you navigating well? Navigating well this season will take constant tweaking of your priorities and time. I pray that God gives you peace this year, as promised in the Word (v.27).

Praying for you,

mo

Promise (Deuteronomy 1)

Hey all,

The word of the day is “promise.” This is such a cool word if you are a Christian because of the implications it holds. When God first brought his peeps out of Egypt and was ready to give them a new land, the scripture reads:

See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them."

~Deut. 1:8

God knew what he had promised and wanted Moses and the Israelites to move forward. The problem was the God’s people were not ready to trust. And for that decision they ended up wandering the wilderness for the next forty years. Now, the point is that we don’t need to be worried that God is going to do the same to us. The important lesson is to understand that God has given you a promise, and God will always be faithful to that promise. The question is: what does that promise mean in your life and relationship with God? Will you trust God’s promise? Show the promise of a true believer… and you will not be disappointed.

Praying for you,

mo

Discernment (Judges 7:1-25)

Hey all,

Back when I was in my youth group I remember one of the qualities that Jann, my youth pastor’s wife, told me to pray for daily... “discernment.” This is a tricky one. If you you pray for discernment and God gives it to you, then you may not always like the options presented… For instance, when Gideon was going to war, he was such a good leader that he attracted a ton of dudes who were willing to fight along side him. The problem was that this was not necessarily in God’s plan. For God to get the glory of triumph, the army was going to have to shrink (7:2). How would you like to be that kind of leader… awesome!

God wants quality in our lives, not quantity (7:6). You have the choice to do a ton of good stuff set before you, but sometimes doing the good stuff gets in the way of the great things God has in store. My question for you is: What good things in your life do you need to examine to possibly make way for the great things that God has for you? I know, that is a tough one. I constantly struggle with that. I always want to do more ministry, more fun stuff, more family time, more friends time, and yes… even more homework – sometimes. ☺

Discernment in all that you do will give you the opportunity follow God’s leading, and prepare you for victory in your endeavors (7:15). As the old knight at the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade said, “Your must choose, but choose wisely…” Have a great week.

Praying for you,

mo

Wisdom (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Hey all,

In the spirit of all the decisions each of us make daily, I thought “wisdom” would be an appropriate word of the day. We should focus on applying the knowledge we gain daily and apply it through life. For each of you peeps, life is a great place to learn and grow. But as Christ-followers, you also have a ton of responsibilities and crazy schedules. It is a privilege to represent your God in all you do, and I am so excited for what God has in store for you, whether at work or in your extracurricular stuff. This year is going to fly and it is pertinent that you keep God’s vision in front of you.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

~Proverbs 3-5-6

When I was a senior in high school, my youth pastor’s wife gave me a bit of advice that I still apply today. She told me that each day when I wake up I should pray for two things: 1) Wisdom, and 2) Discernment. Wow! I am telling you… that changed my life. She explained that if I prayed for those qualities, God would give them to me. From that day to this, I still pray for both each morning. Here’s the crazy part though… it was, and is, up to me to use both when God gives them to me. Do you pray for these qualities? I pray that God gives you both and each of you use your influence to be an example to others. Have a blessed day, yo!!!

praying for you,

mo

Build (Isaiah 57:14)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “build.” As we continue into this beginning part of our season we will do more and more. You are now establishing your schedules, and combining them with the rest of your life. Taking the proper steps in any venture is crucial to success. God often told his people through various prophets how to move toward this success…

“And it will be said: Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people."

~Isaiah 57:14

God was not messing around when he told his peeps to get ready. I think we should view our faith in the same light. My question for you today is: What are you doing to build your faith and relationship with God.  My prayer for you is that God uses you to build the Kingdom here on earth as we get ready to see him soon.  He has cool things in store for you and as you build, both in your swim season and in life, God will be faithful to do some amazing stuff through you.

Praying for you,

mo

Chain (John 14:15-24)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “chain.”  JC lays out right here in this passage what it means to love him.  You could imagine the scrutiny that he has gone through at this point.  He let’s the disciples know the best way to live a life that it’s focused on him.  The Lord is revealing priceless nuggets of wisdom to his peeps.  He knows they are going to need it when he leaves them…

“Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.”

~Jn. 14:19

My question is: what is the one thing that has a potential to hold you back this year from really following JC the way he intended? We all have chains, whether that is some sin we feel is unshakable, or even something comfortable that seems can always wait a bit longer to fix.  My prayer is that you focus your attention on the Lord and give him the opportunity to draw you near to him.  The Spirit will continue to work in you and give guidance where needed.  You just need to give a little room.

Praying for you,

mo

Finish (2 Timothy 4:6-8)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “finish.” If there is any literature that one might read on what it means to finish well, it's got a be the Bible. Even if you just focus your attention on the 2 letters written to Timothy, the apostle Paul is very particular about what it means to finish strong. You can tell that as he mentor young Timothy, he felt a sense of responsibility for his faith in the way that this young man would continue on preaching the gospel long after he would leave this earth…

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

~2 Tim. 4:7

My question is: what does it take for you to finish strong? One of my mentors once told me that God has given me certain seasons in life. You are in a specific season of your life right now. The hard part a lot of the time is to not look too far ahead, but to be in the moment. My prayer is that you take today and realize how special this moment is. You can be your best, but you have to be willing to take Paul's words to heart. Are you ready to finish strong? Take hold of what God has given you through JC and live according to the promise he has instilled in your heart.

Praying for you,

mo