Carpe diem

Ephesians 5:15-16

Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise,

"making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."

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http://read.ly/Eph5.16.NIV

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Fasting Tips

1- tell few people
2- turn off the tv
3- get alone with God
4- feast on His word
5- meditate
6- go for walks alone
7- take a phone break
8- be quiet
9- do not enter into needless temptation
10- sleep - get rest


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Isaiah 58:1

""Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins."

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Isaiah 58:3

"'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers."

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Isaiah 58:2

"For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them."

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Isaiah 58:4

"Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high."

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Isaiah 58:5

"Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?"

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Isaiah 58:6

""Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?"

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Isaiah 58:8

"Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard."

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Isaiah 58:7

"Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?"

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Isaiah 58:9

"Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,"

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Isaiah 58:10

"and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday."

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Isaiah 58:11

"The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."

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Philippians 4:9

"Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me–put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

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Philippians 4:8

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things."

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Matthew 6:34

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. "

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2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Romans 12: 1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.




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Ephesians 5:15

"Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise,"

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Romans 8:26

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."

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Romans 8:37

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

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Romans 8:36

"As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.""

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Romans 8:35

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?"

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Matthew 16:24
Deny himself
Take up his cross
Follow me

What does it look like to take up your cross?




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Making much...

"Do you feel loved by God because you believe he makes much of you, or because you believe he frees you and empowers you to enjoy making much of him?"

John 3:18-19

John 3:16

Romans 5:8

Ephesians 2:4

2 Thessalonians 2:16

1 John 3:1

1 John 4:9-10

God's is not earned and can never be.

John 19:38-40




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The Cross Experiment

Experiencing 40 days of the cross

For the next 40 days -

Can you remember the first time you experienced the cross?

Have you ever had a time where you encountered the cross?




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God of the possible

Great Service Today!  Here are the verses discussed.  I don't think any other commentary or notes are needed.  Just faith in Him!!!  

God is awesome!  

Hebrews 11.6

6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

 

Mark 9.21-24

21 "How long has this been happening?" Jesus asked the boy's father.
  He replied, "Since he was a little boy.22 The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can."  23 "What do you mean, `If I can'?" Jesus asked. "Anything is possible if a person believes."  24 The father instantly cried out, "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!"

Matthew 17.20

 20 "You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, `Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."

1Kings 18.21

21 Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, "How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!" But the people were completely silent.  22 Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but Baal has 450 prophets.23 Now bring two bulls. The prophets of Baal may choose whichever one they wish and cut it into pieces and lay it on the wood of their altar, but without setting fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood on the altar, but not set fire to it.24 Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord . The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!" And all the people agreed.  25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "You go first, for there are many of you. Choose one of the bulls, and prepare it and call on the name of your god. But do not set fire to the wood."  26 So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noontime, shouting, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no reply of any kind. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made.  27 About noontime Elijah began mocking them. "You'll have to shout louder," he scoffed, "for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself.s Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!"  28 So they shouted louder, and following their normal custom, they cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out.29 They raved all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice, but still there was no sound, no reply, no response.  30 Then Elijah called to the people, "Come over here!" They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down.31 He took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel,s32 and he used the stones to rebuild the altar in the name of the Lord . Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold about three gallons.s33 He piled wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood.
  Then he said, "Fill four large jars with water, and pour the water over the offering and the wood."  34 After they had done this, he said, "Do the same thing again!" And when they were finished, he said, "Now do it a third time!" So they did as he said,35 and the water ran around the altar and even filled the trench.  36 At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, "O Lord , God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,s prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command.37 O Lord , answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord , are God and that you have brought them back to yourself."  38 Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench!39 And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, "The Lord —he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!"

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Testing, testing one, two

I love Jesus!





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Fasting

John 4.27-34

27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” 28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

Are you full from nibbling on the things of this world? How can you hunger for God if you have filled yourself with worldly things?

Job 23.12

12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. 

Psalm 19.7-10

7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are sure
and altogether righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.

2 Chronicles 7.14

14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

1-Humble self

2-Pray

3-Seek my face

4-Turn from wicked ways

Isaiah 58

Fasting, do it for God. Not you.

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For His Name Sake

Titus 3:1-7

1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good,

2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Notes:

God is doing work here.

Great Awakenings

In the last 250 years there have been 4 Great Awakenings.  These are periods of time where we have  had a heightened awareness that we need the Lord.

Interesting Link to Today's Great Awakening via YouVersion 

Why did they happen?

Ezekiel 36.22-27

22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone.23 I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.
24 ” ‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

It is not for your sake:

Not because God did not care for Israel, but because they did not deserve what he is about to do.

The nations will know that I am the Lord:

Will give you a good heart and a new spirit

I will put my spirit within you

Revival only comes through brokeness.

If God was here in town would God stop here and say "yes I can use you." or would He keep walking by.

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Spreading His Fame

We preach to others everyday through the way we interact with those around us.

*We preach to spread His fame

*We teach to spread His fame

*We heal to spread His fame

      Jesus healed in three ways:

         1) Physically

         2) emotionally

         3) the demon possesed

      God wants to heal us so we can become a tool for Him.

*We spread His fame through following Him.

Do people sense Jesus when they around you?

Ask yourself 2 questions;

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Who do you want to be when you grow up?

God wants us to spread His fame! 

Matthew 4:18-25

The Calling of the First Disciples

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them,

22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus Heals the Sick

23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon‑possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.

25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. 

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Living the New Life - Sunday January 3, 2010

Colossians 3

Colossians 3

Living the New Life

1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand.2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.4 And when Christ, who is yours life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
  5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.s7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world.8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.9 Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.11 In this new life, it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile,s circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized,s slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
  12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.13 Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
  16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Instructions for Christian Households

18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord.
  19 Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.
  20 Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord.21 Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged.
  22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord.23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.s25 But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.