Fearing being afraid of frightful fears.

What are you afraid of?
Spiders?
Snakes?
Death?
Public speaking?
Rabbits?

Psalm 23:4

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

1 Peter 3:13-14

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?  But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened."

What is fear?

In one respect, it is the response to a perceived danger.

It dawned on me one day. 

Fear isn't real.

A spider, that's real.

People who want to kill us because of what we believe, that's real.

But what is fear? 

It's all in our heads.

Yes, fear may sway how we react to something, but it isn't the reaction itself.

Can you imagine if you made all of your choices out of prayer and logic? Separate from fear?

What if the disciples had let their fear control them? They had plenty of opportunities to fear. (Who wants to be crushed by stones?)

Just remember we are only to have one fear, and that is the holy fear of God. 

The kind of fear that makes us stand in awe and bow in reverence.

So next time that other kind of fear tries to butt in, you don't even have to give it notice because it's not real.

Have a great week.

Songs For Sunday

This Is Amazing Grace

10,000 Reasons

I Will Look Up - G

Our God

Hosanna

Altar

At The Cross

Outlook isn't just an E-mail program

Ephesians 4:31-32

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Who knows someone with a bad attitude?

When's the last time you had one? (we've all done it)

How was that? Fun? Exciting? Whimsical?
I'm thinking probably not.

There are many causes for a bad attitude.
Sickness, stress, and bitterness just to name a few.
But we need to make sure in the times when our attitudes are stinky, that
1. We are able to recognize that we have a bad attitude.
2. Are willing to give up our bad attitude.


Recognizing our bad attitude.
Sometimes this is hard to do. We can feel justified in how we are feeling and not want to recognize it as a bad attitude.
In the case of stress or sickness, just our state of being and how we are physically feeling can lead to a bad attitude. (it just kinda creeps in)
It's just a good idea to always keep our eyes on what kind of mindset we are in at all times.

Are we willing to give up our bad attitude?
The answer should be yes, but sometimes we just want to wallow in our pride and anger.
There are two big problems with this.
One is that in our bad attitude, our whole world becomes filtered through that lens. Meaning even things that would normally not upset you, do. And things just aren't seen as they are.
The second is that most bad attitudes come from offense and unforgiveness.
This just isn't a place that we can stay as people living for God.
How can we be forgiven if we can't forgive?

So, let's quit being Yahoo's. We need to send more G-mails (God mails) and pray that our Outlook on life will stay focused on the one who we live for.

Have a great week.

Songs For Sunday

You Are Good
Everlasting God
Mercy
Whom Shall I Fear (God Of Angel Armies)
Let It Rain

Altar
Forever

Give a word.

Just a simple thought today.

Open yourself up to speak what God would speak through you.
There may be a simple word that is exactly what someone around you needs to hear today.

My challenge would be, pray that the Holy Spirit would put people around you that need a specific word and that He would drop that word in your heart.

When you do this, don't be surprised by what happens.

Have a great day!


Songs For Sunday

All Because Of Jesus
Jesus Messiah
Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)
More Than Amazing
Be Lifted High


Altar
Give Us Clean Hands

Distractions

(Announcer Voice)
Coming to a theatre near you!
They're everywhere...     They Live in your house...   They may even have affected your family...
They are...



DISTRACTIONS!!!  Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuun!

Ok for real. This may seem like a slam dunk thing.
You are probably thinking "Duh, distractions are bad. I already know that."

I don't want to talk about the obvious bad distractions (Facebook, I'm looking at you)

I want to examine the big distractions in life.
Are you focusing on what God has made you for, or are you letting things (even things that are good) steal your focus?

I used to be a very political person.  I would listen to the talkshows, read the blogs, watch the news.   Good or bad, these were all distracting me from loving people and being the person that God made me to be.  My focus was in the wrong place.

Let me ask you.
Does the enemy need to get you to fall in order to get you out of the way?
NO!!!
All he wants is for you to focus on something else for a while.

This is a principle that we need to think about every day.



Songs For Sunday

Best Days
One Thing Remains
Soon
Overcome
Power Of Your Name


Altar
Where You Go I Go
I Will Go

Pastor Brian

Tomorrow is the day that the Lord has made...

Think really quick about the last time you procrastinated.
Let's be real, it was probably today.

It's so easy for us to look at the things that need to be done in our lives and think that there will be more time later to do them.

The reality is, there is no later.

When we have the priorities set in our lives there is no time for later, there is only "what is the thing that has my top priority right now?"
That might mean "hey I'm being distracted by a game on my phone or Facebook right now, but it's all good cause I still have 3 hours to get done what I need to"

Or it could mean "I have something that I HAVE to get done today but I'm going to take care of these 4 other things first because they aren't as time consuming"
Some people call these things "time wasters/stealers"

Augustine of Hippo said
 "God has promised forgiveness to your repentance, but He has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination.”

For most of us, procrastination has become so ingrained that we may not even view it as that big of a problem.

We make light of it and joke about it.
When I really think about it though, it's not even humorous.
What is funny about not being people who do the things that need to be done when they need to be done?

And we are hurting our employers, family and ourselves.

So come on peeps (may I call you peeps?)
Let's stop making procrastination a priority in our lives.



Songs For Sunday

Build Your Kingdom Here
Cornerstone
Worthy Is The Lamb
How He Loves
Deliverer


Altar
Healer
Psalm 23 (NCU Version, there's no Youtube Vid for it)

Have a great week and I'll see you on Sunday!
Pastor Brian

I just need to be myself! / Sunday Worship 9/14/2014

God doesn't want me to be someone I'm not.
Wait... what?

This simple statement is both true and very wrong at the same time.

On one hand God does want me to be me. He wants me to be the best me that I can possibly be. In fact He wants that so bad he sent his Holy Spirit to help me become the person that He designed me to be.

On the other hand, God wants me to be someone I'm not.  He doesn't intend for me to stay as I am forever.  I'm meant to constantly grow to be like my Father.  If I stay as I am, I may do some good things but I'm not living in the fullness that God has made me for. 
I'm an incomplete puzzle piece and the other pieces that were meant to connect to me just won't fit right.

So next time someone says "I just gotta be me!" you can say, "You're so wrong that you're right."




Denies is leading on Sunday. BE EARLY!

Be a huge blessing to Denies and make leading this Sunday be the most fun and easygoing thing that she has ever done. 
PREPARE! 

Songs For Sunday

Holy Is The Lord
Your Great Name/There's Something About That Name
Nothing But The Blood
Never Once
How Great Is Our God

Altar

Break Every Chain
I Surrender (Kim Walker)


Have a Great Week

Why do you want me to do that?

What's the last thing that God asked you to do?

I'm not talking about the things that God wants every day (communion with him, spreading the message of salvation, showing love, etc.)

I'm talking a specific thing that He asked you to do.


Was it a really challenging request or was it simple?
Did it seem like it was even that important? 
Was it scary?
What was going on in your life at that time?



I ask these questions to say one thing.   It doesn't matter.



It doesn't matter if...

it was challenging, the Holy Spirit will help.

it was simple, some things need to be broken down into steps and God doesn't show us the whole picture most of the time.

it seemed like it was important, we don't know how important things really are.

it was scary, the biggest and best things in life are the scariest. (ask any new dad)


All this to say. It's not for us to determine if we should do something that God has told us to do.
Only to do it.

We will not know (in this life) what the full consequences of our obedience or disobedience was.
And the outcome of obeying may not even be what we think it should be. 
However, we serve a Great God and He knows why.

So next time you feel led by God to do something, resolve to do it!
Even if you don't see all of the outcome, you will be blessed by your obedience.

Miracle Fruit

I was perusing the inter-webs the other day and I came across a video of a couple of guys trying this fruit known as the miracle berry. 

Now what this berry does, if you eat one, is to change the way your tongue tastes food.

It makes a sour taste, sweet.

Now this makes for a very entertaining YouTube video, however it got me thinking about a spiritual parallel.

2 Corinthians 11:13-14 NIV

For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

Now this is speaking about people who are claiming to be working for the kingdom, but are in truth just wanting to boast that they can do what the apostles do. 

But it brings to light a bigger truth. 

BAD THINGS CAN DISGUISE THEMSELVES AS GOOD THINGS!

Just like this fruit that makes things that are sour, sweet.

Our desires for pleasure and sin can disguise something that everyone else can look at as bad and make it seem good to us.

Example from my own life.

Video Games.

Now on the surface is there anything inherently bad about them? (in general) 

I would say no. In fact they can be a great way to connect with people. 

But when I had become so obsessed with them that I was playing them 8-14 hours a day, I don't think anyone would consider that a good thing.

Yet through my eyes I was having a great time. (Even though I was failing College because of it).  

I was even telling my friends that they should play these games that I was playing because they were so much fun!

So, what happened here?

My desire to have fun overrode my sensibilities and just like the miracle fruit it took something bad (the wasted hours and disobedience to God) and made it taste sweet to me.

So, is there anything in your life right now that is hiding under the cover of sweetness?

A great measuring stick for this is; Do you feel the need to explain why you do something?

Are you getting angry right now reading this?

"How dare you try to tell me what to do!"

I'm not, but maybe God is trying to reveal something to you.

Have a great week and I hope this challenges you.   

Should we worship when we don't feel like it?

What do you do when you are at a service and you just aren't "feeling it"?

Maybe something is going on in your life that is distracting you. Maybe you're dealing with a sin issue and don't feel like being close to God.  Or maybe you just didn't have a good night's sleep the night before.

We have all been there.  Even as a worship pastor there are mornings where I have to fight through whatever is going on in my life or attitude and lead people in seeking after God (I know you are shocked).

I had to answer this question for myself a long time ago. For me it was because I would feel like a hypocrite on mornings like that.

Then I realized something.
 My feelings don't change who God is.

Just because I'm not in the mood to worship The Creator, does that mean my worship is any less authentic?  I believe it is the exact opposite.  When we don't feel like connecting with God but we do it anyway, we are in so many ways thumbing our noses at the enemy and stating that our feelings will not determine our actions.

Think about it. Do you let you feelings tell you what to do when you don't want to go into work? (not me, other people just in case my head pastor is reading this lol) God is way more interested with our obedience than with our feelings.

But...

Something amazing happens when we sacrifice our feelings in this way.
I have never had a service where this has happened that I didn't end up receiving from God in a very different and special way.

So next time you aren't "feeling it", throw up your hands, hit your knees and seek after Him.
 You are not being fake. You are forcing your will to conquer your flesh.