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The Wise Way to Win Your Brother or Sister

By
Shaw Bigelow
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win your brother

Be the Reason

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4 ESV)

A few weeks ago I was going through my 11-year-old’s phone – a regular occurrence in my household – and I noticed a friend of hers said something that I felt was just a little too “grown” for my taste. 

It wasn’t anything completely inappropriate, but I sometimes like to think that my daughter is above middle-school drama.  I immediately thought, “I’m going to tell Chloe that she can no longer be friends with this girl.”  But, just as instantly as that thought came to my mind, I was convicted because here I was judging a situation and a person by one text message chain. 

And of course, I started to try to find what God wanted me to learn from this. If you haven’t realized this about me, I challenge myself every day to become more like Jesus and I know, for me, that it starts with my thoughts.  And, what I found out through studying is that God does not want us to eliminate people from our lives before we show them the love of Christ.

Would Jesus Write Us Off?

win your brotherI had always been quick to write people off when I felt like they weren’t the right fit for my life.  I would justify my actions by telling myself that I don’t need to be around negative people or that Christians don’t hang out with sinners. But when I looked deep within me, I found that I would write people off because I felt like they would hinder me in some way (selfish ambition), or that I deserve better friends (conceit).   

After really poring over the Word of God, especially Philippians 2:3-4 ESV, I now understand that my previous method of managing relationships was not Christ-like and could be isolating to others. 

God welcomes anyone who believes and the Church should be inclusive, not exclusive.  When the Pharisees asked the disciples why Jesus eats with sinners, Jesus responded, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17 ESV).

As believers, we cannot exclude and isolate people from Christianity, and then be confused as to why they aren’t rushing to join the local churches.  We have to be the reason that others want to come and form or rebuild a relationship with God. Matthew 5:16 calls us to let our “light shine before others, so that they may see [y]our good works and give glory to [y]our Father who is in heaven” (ESV). 

So, What’s the Play Call?

These are the things I tell my daughter about being the light of the world and winning others:

  • “Set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12 ESV). As believers, we are walking billboards for Christ and someone is always looking to us and at us for an excuse to either believe or not believe.  Nothing that we do should deter someone from believing.
  • “And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.  Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else” (1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 NIV).  Never allow anyone in your group of friends to lead you down the wrong path.  It is your responsibility to be a leader for Christ and to lead others to Christ. 
  • “Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.  In everything set them an example by doing what is good.  In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us” (Titus 2:6-8 NIV).  Always maintain self-discipline and don’t do anything that can be misconstrued as dishonorable or dishonest.  We cannot give anyone an excuse to not follow Jesus.  We must be the reason others open their hearts to God. 

Someone is always watching – be the reason they believe that we serve a good and faithful God.

Dare 2 Share Live 2018 and Teen Evangelism: A Chat with Greg Stier, Founder

By
Editorial Staff
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Mobilizing Teens for the Cause of Christ

Dare 2 Share Live is a national, live, multi-site evangelism training and outreach event designed to spark a movement of gospel conversations across the country through teenagers.

In 2017, over 10,000 students and adult leaders attended Dare 2 Share Live from 68 sites. This year, on October 13, thousands of students will gather in local churches across the United States to be inspired and equipped to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, and then released – at the exact same time – to share the gospel in their neighborhoods and serve with love. Dare 2 Share LIVE will be broadcast from the flagship event in Denver, Colorado and streamed to over 95 satellite sites nationwide.

We caught up with Dare 2 Share Ministries founder, Greg Stier, to learn more about his heart for youth evangelism and Dare 2 Share Live 2018.

_______

Greg, tell us a little about your background and how you developed a passion for youth and evangelism.

Greg Stier Dare 2 Share
Greg Stier, Founder, Dare 2 Share Ministries

My earliest memories of growing up were of a lot of violence. Many of my family members were street fighters and bodybuilders. They loved to fight and, because we lived in the highest crime rate area of our city, violence and crime of all sorts was easy to come by. My family was in a downward spiral, but, on a dare, a preacher from the suburbs nicknamed “Yankee” (although he spoke with a Southern accent) reached out to the toughest one of my family members, my Uncle Jack.

Uncle Jack was a muscle-bound, street fighting bodybuilder who was full of rage and intensity. He had been in and out of jail – once for choking 2 cops out who were trying to arrest him on assault charges. Yankee knocked on Uncle Jack’s door and shared the Gospel with him. Uncle Jack, for the first time, really understood that Jesus came to die for sinners just like him. When Yankee asked, “Does that make sense?” He blurted out “Hell yeah!” That was his sinner’s prayer.

Yankee equipped Uncle Jack to share his faith and he began to tell anyone who would listen (and they usually listened because he was still pretty intimidating). In one month, he brought 250 people – mostly thugs, bodybuilders, and tough guys – out to Yankee’s church to hear the Gospel.

One by one my family members were radically transformed by the Gospel. Within a few years, most of my family were saved and on fire to share the Gospel.

And, Yankee had a huge passion to reach young people. At one point, his youth group numbered over 800 young people. He trained and equipped us on how to share the Gospel with our own peers. And, we did just that. There was an expectation in his youth group that, if you wanted to be a leader, you’d lead the way when it came to evangelism.

I was all in. As a fatherless teen from the inner city, I now had a “Heavenly Father.” As an aimless kid from the streets, I now had a purpose, to make and multiply disciples.

When I was fifteen, I began to call churches in our community to see if I could train their teens to share the Gospel. I finally got a hold of Clay Stone at Community Baptist Church and he invited me to go there that Wednesday night and equip his teens to share the Gospel. I rode my bike there and trained them all.

In a sense, I’ve been riding my bike ever since training teens from coast to coast (although now that bike comes in the form of an airplane!). In the last 27 years of Dare 2 Share, I’ve been blessed to equip over a million teenagers to share the Gospel. But it all started with my family being reached for Christ, and then equipped with the Gospel by a preacher who dared to reach into the city and share the hope of Christ with my family.

 

When you think about the early days of Dare 2 Share Ministries, how has your approach to engaging teens to share the gospel changed? How is it the same?

Early on, we just gave teenagers straight up questions to bring up with people. We used questions like, “Do you know you are going to heaven when you die?” And “If I could tell you in less than two minutes who you could know would that be good news?”

Today we train teenagers to have Gospel conversations. We equip them to “Ask, Admire and Admit”. We train them to ask questions to get to know someone and, at some point, to discover their spiritual background. Then, they seek to admire something about their belief system (like Paul did with the Athenian philosophers in Acts 17:22-24) And, finally, we train them to admit that the reason they are a Christian is that they are so messed up they needed Jesus to save them.

This approach has led to teenagers having many more Gospel conversations instead of traditional evangelistic presentations. We have discovered that this conversational approach has much more power with the average teenager today.

Also, we have changed the methodology of how we explain the Gospel. Before we used a GOSPEL acrostic that began in Genesis 3 with “God says everyone has sinned.” Now, our approach tells the whole story of the Bible from Genesis 1-Revelation 22. We still use an acrostic, but it tells the whole story of the Bible:

  • God created us to be with him. Genesis 1,2
  • Our sins separate us from God. Genesis 3
  • Sins cannot be removed by good deeds. Genesis 4-Malachi 4
  • Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. Matthew-Luke
  • Everyone who trusts in Him alone has eternal life. John
  • Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever. Acts-Revelation

Some feel discipleship before evangelism is key – making sure teens are well-trained and well-versed in the gospel before they share their faith. Your perspective is different. Share what your experience has been regarding when teens are “ready” to share Jesus Christ.

I’m convinced we make a mistake when we make evangelism the 401 class instead of the 101 class.

The first sign of the indwelling Holy Spirit in Acts 2 is that the disciples’ tongues were set on fire with the Gospel and 3,000 were added to their numbers that day. When you think about it, water baptism was immediate and in public in that culture. It was your first evangelistic opportunity because you were proclaiming to everyone present that you believed in Jesus and were making it public!

The sooner our teens share their faith the sooner they die to themselves. In a sense, they are risking a social death every time they share the gospel. And, it’s this risk that produces spiritual growth. It makes them utterly dependent on the Holy Spirit and the Spirit produces His fruit in them and through them as a result.

Think about it this way. If you have a sponge and pour fresh milk into it until it is full, it will eventually spoil if it is not wrung out.  In the same way, we must be constantly pouring the milk of God’s Word into our teenagers’ hearts and minds and then challenging them to wring out the Gospel to their friends. It will keep them from spoiling spiritually.

If you think about how Jesus discipled his disciples, it was far from academic. He took them on a 3 1/2 year mission trip and taught them truth along the way. What if we ran our youth ministries the same way? It would produce both numerical and spiritual growth in ways we never anticipated!

For youth who truly love Jesus, but are shy or nervous about sharing their faith, what’s one piece of advice you’d give them?

It’s good to feel nervous when it comes to sharing the Gospel because it makes you depend on the indwelling Holy Spirit. Learn how to pray and ask God to give you boldness because He will…and then just go for it!

For youth leaders who have struggled to get their young people excited about sharing their faith, what first step can they take towards building a gospel advancing youth ministry?

First of all, they need to understand that Gospel Advancing is not a model of ministry, but a mindset for ministry. We define a Gospel Advancing Ministry as one that “relentlessly pursues the mission of Jesus by relationally multiplying disciples resulting in radical Gospel transformation.” It is built on a philosophy of ministry that’s really 2,000 years old. Once they understand this they can take a look at the core elements of a Gospel Advancing ministry and see what is missing from their current strategy.

The 7 values of a Gospel Advancing ministry are:

  1.  Intercessory prayer fuels it.
  2.  Relational evangelism drives it.
  3.  Leaders fully embrace and model it.
  4.  A disciple multiplication strategy guides it.
  5.  A bold vision focuses it.
  6.  Biblical outcomes measure it.
  7.  Ongoing programs reflect it.

There’s a simple 12 question diagnostic on gospeladvancing.org that youth leaders can take to discover which stage of Gospel Advancement they are in as a youth group. I encourage youth leaders to take it, see where they are at, and then take the recommended next steps to get to the next stage.

Progressing from stage to stage can be a challenging process that takes time and effort. But it’s worth it.

We see there’s a Dare2Share App available – how can churches and youth leaders use this resource to equip their teens?

This app has all of our core evangelism training for teenagers in the form of short videos. I encourage you to have all your teens download it and go through it with them one segment at a time. Teens will discover why they should share their faith in the “Why share?” Section and how to bring it up, explain it and wrap up the conversation in the “How 2 share” Section. Teenagers will also have access to free Gospel conversation-starting videos in the app and still pictures to upload on Instagram and Facebook.

One of the best parts of the Dare 2 Share app is the “How to reach different worldviews segment.” Here, teenagers learn how to reach out to their Mormon, Muslim, and Buddhist friends (along with ten other beliefs/worldviews.) It’s a great way to teach them apologetics.

Dare 2 Share

Thank you, Greg, you’ve shared some amazing information with us. Lastly, how can youth and youth leaders best support Dare2Share and participate on October 13th?

On October 13th, we are praying that God will bring tens of thousands of on-fire teenagers gathering in 99 cities across the country to be mobilized to evangelize.

The Skit Guys, Shane and Shane, Flame, Zane Black, Kayla Thompson and myself will be inspiring and equipping teenagers from the host site in Denver. But, in every site, there will be live worship and a live pre-trained emcee/trainer who will train live from that site as well. It’s a 9 am West Coast start and noon East Coast start, so teens will be receiving the exact same training at the exact same time!

Also, teens will be able to download the Dare 2 Share Live app and be able to communicate with each other through it.

Youth leaders should go to www.dare2sharelive.org to find the closest site near them. They can click on that city and sign up right there.

The Gospel will be given clearly during Dare 2 Share Live so be sure to bring out unreached teens. And teens will be inspired, equipped and mobilized (that day) to share the Good News so bring out all your Christian teens as well.

Pray with us that God strikes a revival on October 13th by setting the alarm on your phone to 10:13 am. When it goes off, stop for a minute to pray for revival amongst the next generation to erupt as a result of Dare 2 Share Live.

_______

Teammates! Be sure to check out Dare 2 Share LIVE, sign-up your youth ministry, download the available resources, and tune in on October 13th!

5 Tips for Smoother Sailing in Your Marriage

By
Cortne Smith
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marriage

Marriage Takes Us Away

I so enjoy cruises.  See, once you’ve made the decision to climb aboard a cruise ship, there is nothing left to do but enjoy the benefits of your well-planned vacation.

But, I’ll admit it. Some of my cruising experiences have been less than perfect. However, those bad experiences didn’t stop me from getting on the next ship.

Doesn’t that remind you of relationSHIPS? We don’t give up on our relationSHIPS because of bad experiences or memories from past “ships”.

How many of us are jumping ship every time the journey is less than perfect – according to our standards and demands?

We must allow God to work it ALL for our good!

Life Lessons While Cruising

marriageThe first cruise I ever took was a day trip (small ferry boat) from the Florida coast over to the Bahamas.  At that time, I realized I did not have the stomach to deal with the rocking of the boat.  Nauseated and dizzy for the entire ride, I vowed to never get on a boat again.

God was teaching me something about myself that day.  I was the person who would turn around mid-voyage, even if where God told me to go was through choppy waters. I wanted calm seas every day of my life, but God reminded me that I was not exempt from the storms and the rain. So, I needed to learn how to keep it together and stomach uncomfortable situations.

My second cruise took place on a simple dinner cruise boat.  I went for a bigger boat this time and a little further out to sea. I was much more confident and prepared for what was to come – or so I thought.

Ultimately, a fight broke out between a few travelers who had too many happy hour drinks. Needless to say, I was livid. I had allowed their situation to disturb my peace. I wanted my way, which meant that everyone should behave according to my standards.

During this experience, God was teaching me to be tolerant and non-judgmental of people who didn’t act or experience life just like me.

Experience Builds Your Hope in God

I have been on more than 10 cruises now. Needless to say, I’ve learned a lot of lessons, including the need to put my hope for a great travel plan, safety, and joy in God’s hands. That’s what experience does. As we’re patient with our process, experience builds hope that leads to confidence in Christ (Romans 5:4-5 KJV).

How does this apply to relationSHIPS?  We all want to travel through life with a great partner – safely and with joy. No one wants their relationSHIP to be overtaken by the waves of life and capsized.

So, here are 5 tips to ensure peace, safety, and joy in your relationship – with Jesus as your Captain:

1. Allow God to Choose Your Time and Seat at the Captain’s Dinner

Accept God’s timing for when He allows your blessings to be served and who He chooses to be present doing this time.

2. Enjoy God’s Travel Plans for You

Realize that purpose in relationSHIPs is personal. Everyone is not on the “ship” for the same reasons. Don’t lose your purpose being busy watching and emulating the habits of others. Do what is required to keep your relationSHIP heading in the right direction.

3. Know That the Boat Will Rock

When life with your spouse gets rocky, move up to higher levels in your faith and prayer life so you won’t be so distracted. Don’t get stuck living low or thinking low – beneath the greatness where God has called you. God will be your shield against any motion sickness (Psalm 91:4).

4. Put on Your Life Jacket (The Holy Spirit)

When every report says you’re about to sink, the Holy Spirit will not only keep you afloat, but He will lead you into the real truth (John 16:13).  Your relationSHIP will not survive without the assistance of a life jacket.

5. Keep Your Hands off the Helm

Let God be God and keep the relationSHIP steering at the appropriate angles according to the conditions He sees up ahead.

So, What’s the Play Call?

Plan your life journey with God as the Captain of your RelationSHIP, making sure everyone in your cabin wants to be onboard on the journey to destiny.

Updated September 2018

Pursuing Purpose: Anthony ONeal, Best-Selling Author and Ramsey Personality

By
Monique C. Baisden
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anthony oneal interview

Pursuing Purpose Interview Series

Special Guest: Anthony ONeal, Best-Selling Author and Ramsey Personality

“Pursuing Purpose” is a new podcast interview series with people who are walking in purpose and destined for greatness. These persons come from all backgrounds of life; many are well-known and well-respected professionals in their respective industries. Some are household names, and others are not. But, what they all have in common is their faith in God. They are all Team Jesus! As Christ Followers, they have endured and overcome challenges and have made the commitment to dedicate their lives to walking in and living out their God-given purpose, no matter what.

Meet Anthony ONeal, a Dave Ramsey Personality and the Wall Street Journal national best-selling author of The Graduate Survival Guide. Once homeless, living out of his car, and drowning in debt, Anthony now travels the country helping others to become debt-free and to build wealth for themselves and their families.

Listen in to his testimony of survival and purpose…


 

Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to Pursuing Purpose: The Podcast

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iTunes

Lauren Daigle, Kirk Franklin, Natalie Grant, Tori Kelly and Newsboys Set to Perform at 49th Annual GMA Dove Awards

By
Editorial Staff
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dove awards
Photo via Gospel Music Associations (GMA)

Awards to be held live Tuesday, October 16, in Nashville, TN
and will air exclusively on TBN on Sunday, October 21

The Gospel Music Association (GMA) announced another round of all-star performances for the 49th Annual GMA Dove Awards, including award-winning singer-songwriter Lauren Daigle, a Newsboys reunion celebrating the band’s 25th anniversary, a duet by chart-topping recording artist Natalie Grant and rising star Koryn Hawthorne, and a first-time Dove Awards performance by GRAMMY® nominated artist Tori Kelly featuring gospel legend Kirk Franklin.

The awards show will be held live on October 16 in Nashville, Tennessee and will air exclusively on TBN October 21 at 8 p.m. CT.  Previously announced performers include Big Daddy Weave, Cory Asbury, Tauren Wells and Jason Crabb with Rascal Flatts. More talent announcements are forthcoming. Tickets are on sale now at www.doveawards.com. 

The 49th Annual GMA Dove Awards are made possible in part by Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM), the nation’s original health cost sharing ministry. “We support the Dove Awards because of the importance in our society of Christian artists sharing the Good News,” said Rev. Dr. Howard S. Russell, CHM president and CEO. “The role of Christian artists’ in encouraging the spirits of believers directly impacts listeners’ spiritual and physical well-being. We support the work of Christian artists in uplifting the kingdom of God.”

The GMA Dove Awards celebrate the contributions of artists from every style of Christian/Gospel music. Nominees are determined by GMA’s professional members, and winners will be voted on by the entire GMA membership. Tauren Wells leads artist nominations with eight, followed by Zach Williams with six and Cory Asbury, Tasha Cobbs Leonard and TobyMac with five nods each. Top nominated writer/producer Colby Wedgeworth scored eight nominations. View the full list of nominees HERE.

Viewers can locate this year’s Dove Awards broadcast on TBN by locating it on the network’s channel finder.   Watch TBN on their livestream HERE, or download the all-new app to view TBN on your Apple or Android devices.

About Christian Healthcare Ministries

Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) enables its hundreds of thousands of members to participate biblically, affordably, and compassionately in paying each other’s medical bills. A nonprofit organization, CHM began in 1981 and is America’s original Christian health cost sharing ministry. CHM enables its 21st century Christian members to live the Book of Acts example of first century Christians sharing to meet each other’s needs—spiritually and financially—through some of life’s most challenging circumstances. CHM is an eligible option under the Affordable Care Act; is a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity; is the only health cost sharing ministry heard on The Dave Ramsey show, and its members have shared over $3 billion in each other’s medical bills. The CHM website is www.chministries.org.

About GMA

Founded in 1964, the Gospel Music Association serves as the face and voice for the Gospel/Christian music community and is dedicated to exposing, promoting and celebrating the Gospel through music of all styles including Pop, Rock, Praise & Worship, Urban Gospel, R&B, Hip Hop, Southern Gospel, Bluegrass, Country, Latin and more. The GMA community includes agents, artists, church leaders, managers, promoters, radio personnel, record company executives, retailers, songwriters and other industry visionaries. The GMA produces the GMA Dove Awards and IMMERSE. For more on supporting the GMA or becoming a member, please visit www.gospelmusic.org.

About Trinity Broadcasting Network

Trinity Broadcasting Network is the world’s largest and most watched faith-and-family broadcaster, reaching over 175 nations across the earth with inspirational and entertaining programming 24 hours a day in 14 languages and on 32 global networks. As the world’s most influential non-profit religious broadcaster, TBN has led the way in expanding the impact of faith-based television across the earth through the creation of innovative content designed to reach every viewer demographic with the life-changing message of hope and grace. To find out more about the TBN Networks, visit us at tbn.org.

Operation Finale: To Catch a Nazi

By
Editorial Staff
-

Operation Finale brings to life one of the most daring covert operations in modern history. Starring Academy Award winner Sir Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Schindler’s List) and Golden Globe winner Oscar Isaac (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, X-Men: Apocalypse), the film vividly captures the ingenious and brilliantly executed mission to capture Adolf Eichmann, one of the chief architects of the Holocaust.

Fifteen years after the end of World War II, acting on irrefutable evidence, a top-secret team of Israeli agents travels to Argentina where Eichmann (Kingsley) has been in hiding together with his family under an alias Ricardo Klement and execute an extremely dangerous abduction. In attempting to sneak him out of Argentina to stand trial in Israel while being pursued by the country’s right-wing forces, agent Peter Malkin (Isaac) is forced to engage Eichmann in an intense and gripping game of cat-and-mouse with life-and-death stakes.

We enjoyed our special screening of Operation Finale. It’s a dark, but necessary account of world history, filled with surprising lessons of compassion, kindness, and redemption.

A Time to Spend Time With God

By
Alecia M. White
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spend time with god

Got Time?

spend time with godI travel a lot, with a lot of people. It’s 9 of us, to be exact. I love it, but being on the road seems to cut in on the time that I would normally spend alone with God. You know, that in the kitchen, washing dishes time. It cuts into my “Lord, I just wanna thank You as I run around my apartment” sessions. But, that is no excuse for me not to talk with Him and hear and heed what He is saying to me.

My road experiences can be likened to a long-distance relationship. Yes, God is always with me, but in such relationships, the parties involved must make a conscious, intentional effort to stay in constant, satisfactory communication with one another. God is always speaking, so it is up to me to seek Him, even when I’m outside of my routine. Matthew 6:33 in our Playbook says to “Seek ye first the kingdom of God…”

Make Time for God

spend time with god Lately, I’ve been given the most random spaces to spend time with God. Bathroom trips where the rest area was at least a five-minute walk from our green room; the opportunity to drop everyone off at the door while I’ve had to park our vehicle. And, even times like right now, when everyone is asleep except me and the driver – the perfect time to listen to Him and really hear His heart for me.

God has placed me in this space that I’m in, and I know He wouldn’t do so without writing time with Him into my crazy schedule. What I’m getting at is – although your time with God may look different than someone else’s, or even different than it has in the past, we need regular, consistent time with God.

Life happens and our schedules change, our time management skills are challenged, and the first thing out the window seems to be prayer and study time in the Word.

Why? I think it’s because we’ve been conditioned to think it’s only considered “time” when we are stationary for long periods as we go before the Lord.

May I submit to you that time with God can occur anywhere at any time? When the kiddos wake up during your prayer time; when your spouse seems to take up your devotion block, even when those extra projects from work seem to pile up, God wants you. Just know that if God gave you these additions to your life (children, spouse, job), He will grant you the necessary space in your day to fit Him in. I say “fit” because, although there is definitely opportunity, it is still up to us to make time to devote to Him. He won’t force it.

So, What’s the Play Call?

Previously, I could be called a terrible manager of my time. I would be so “busy” that I would skip out on prayer and catch a quick one on the way out the door. My writing (a charge that God has given me) suffered tremendously. Mainly because I “thought” that there was a certain, golden hour that I had to talk to God for it to count. If I slept through that 6 am prayer call, I’d say a quick “thank you Jesus” and keep moving. I would, in turn, be so exhausted that I would have to scramble to get stuff done. I was forgetting to do things and forgetting my brain (so it seemed). Once I realized what my problem was, and fixed it, my schedule fell together.

Here are a few tips that will, prayerfully, help you get a grasp on your God-given time:

  1. Seek God first! When you seek out a manufacturer about how to operate their product, they can instruct you better than anyone else can. God created time, so He most assuredly can tell you how to manage and use it. Again, Matthew 6:33 says, “But “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” I believe that “all these things” includes time to spend with God.
  2. There is time for everything that you are called, by God, to do. You must prioritize. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1
  3. Rest! When I’m tired, I go backward and try to squeeze more work in. On the other hand, when I am rested, I am rational and in tune with what God is saying. God instructed us to rest and my obedience allows room for clarity. “All in Judah were happy about this covenant, for they had entered into it with all their heart. They earnestly sought after God, and they found him. And the Lord gave them rest from their enemies on every side.” 2 Chronicles 15:15 (NLT). In this case, your enemy is lack of time with God.
  4. Trust God’s prompting! God knows what He’s doing, He is just waiting for the opportunity to tell you. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9
  5. You have got to communicate with Him. God wants to hear from you… and He wants you to hear from Him. Our Playbook says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the NLT version says, “Never stop praying.” Prayer is communication with God, so this means never stop communicating with God.

I pray that you realize that your time with God may change from year to year, even day to day. Just ask Him what He is requiring of you in this season of your life. For me… it’s writing on a bumpy van ride and late-night prayer sessions. Let God lead you.

The Context of the Promises of God: What Does God Mean?

By
Ryan Churchill
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promises of god

Today’s Scripture Lesson: Psalms 37, 38

Today, we continue our study in the Book of Psalms with the 37th and 38th Psalms. As always I hope you’ll take the time on your own to read these two chapters.

Although the material is usually pretty straightforward, reading the Psalms can be a challenge. This is most often the case for me when God lays one simple question on my heart, “Do you believe that?” From there, things can go many directions.

Like many of the Psalms, the 37th Psalm includes the “promises” of God revealed by David. Allow me to list just a few:

  • the arms of the wicked will be broken
  • the Lord sustains the righteous
  • the wicked will perish
  • those blessed by Him will inherit the land
  • those cursed by Him will be cut off
  • He will exalt you to inherit the land

I can’t tell you the number of times I see social media posts that include one short Scripture. Sometimes it’s a little figurine with a verse of the day. It isn’t uncommon that the verse of the day or short Scripture reveals one of the promises of God from the Psalms. They are, after all, encouraging and typically serve as good motivation for the day.

The Context of God’s Promises Matters

Don’t misunderstand me. I do believe that “all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable.” But, I also believe the rest of that verse, too, as well as the next verse. Scripture is “for teaching, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Do you see the difference between reading something in context and reading it out of context?  When we read the “promises” of God, are we reading them in context? There is a danger in failing to do so.

When we fail to read in context, we begin to ask questions like:

  • Where’s my inheritance, God?
  • When are You going to exalt me, God?
  • When are You going to cut off my enemies, God?
  • When are the arms of my enemy going to be broken, God?

These questions are very often preceded by, “look at everything I’ve done and gone through, God. Look at what I’ve done for You, God.”

We attempt to establish a position where we can leverage God into doing our bidding. Leveraging God essentially says, “by following the rules and being good by our standards, God owes us something.”

When we ask those questions, we’re feeding a cycle of doubt. I’m not saying you shouldn’t pray about and confess the questions and doubts you have, but by dwelling on those questions, you’re actually making matters worse.

Doubt has a negative effect on our perspective and our ability to discern God’s context. It is very difficult to find the Psalms uplifting and encouraging when you’re in the cycle of doubt.

What is the Focus of Your Fulfillment?

Psalm 38 offers one of the greatest lines I’ve ever read. It’s a fascinating line because if you read it out of context, the line is simply uplifting and encouraging for the moment. The line comes from verse 9, “Lord, all my desire is before You; and my sighing is not hidden from you.” It sounds like God knows what you want and He’s going to give it to you. Yay, God! I’m getting that jet ski I always wanted.

But, what happens when we read it in the context of Jesus being the true promise of the Old Testament? What happens when we read it in the context that Jesus is our inheritance, that He defeated the enemy, that He is our exaltation?  Reading, “Lord, all my desire is before You; and my sighing is not hidden from you” is no longer a matter of having hope that I’m going to get all the stuff I want. Now, it presents a question which has an answer that isn’t hidden from God, “where are you going in order to find fulfillment?” When the answer isn’t Jesus and it isn’t God the Father, the moment is convicting.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us, “…He has also set eternity in their heart…” In other words, God has set a deep desire for eternity with Him upon our hearts. We may seek fulfillment elsewhere, but we’re merely attempting to fill a God-sized spiritual void by physical means.

Time and time again in the Psalms, God tells us He plans to give us the desire of our hearts. That’s why Psalms 38:9 is so fascinating. When you read it in the context of a babe lying in a manger, in the context of the New Covenant, in the context of the man upon the cross, or in the context of a risen Savior – it isn’t just convicting, it is exultant throughout eternity.

So, What’s the Play Call?

Go into the quiet place and ask God to reveal the deepest desires of your heart. Ask Him to reveal all the ways you’ve been attempting to fill that void. And, I pray that the “Promise” fulfilled in Jesus Christ will be your fulfillment all the days of your life.

God Bless!

3 Things You Should Know Before Giving Intermittent Fasting a Go

By
Jennifer Hunt, RDN, LD
-
intermittent fasting

Is Intermittent Fasting (IF) for You?

intermittent fastingIntermittent fasting is the new diet trend capturing everyone’s attention with claims that it will help you lose weight, regulate hormones, improve your body composition (lean body mass), boost your metabolism, and prolong your life.  Truth be told – a lot of the research is quite young with small human sample sizes. And, many of these studies are short term, failing to show whether this ‘fad’ is actually a sustainable eating pattern individuals can stick to for years.

Interestingly, it is creating a lot of division among healthcare providers, in particular, Registered Dietitian Nutritionists.  Some are all in, helping clients and patients apply the principles within their lifestyle. Others are proclaiming it another calorie-restrictive ‘fad’ diet with some inflated claims and may have some potential harm.

Chances are, you have tried it or know someone who has. Intermittent fasting is an umbrella term that houses several different types of fasting.  Some of these different approaches include:

The 16:8 Method

This method of fasting includes an 8-hour window for eating (or ‘feeding’), but fasting occurs for the remaining 16 hours of the day. For example, someone would skip breakfast and eat between 11am-7pm. Some individuals follow this method but create an even smaller feeding window of 4 hours.

The 5:2 Diet

Individuals who follow this method eat ‘regularly’ on 5 days a week and 2 days they ‘fast’ consuming no more than about 500 calories.

24-Hour Fasting

This method involves a 24-hour fast 1-2 times per week.

Simply, intermittent fasting, in whatever form practiced, doesn’t specify which foods to eat but instead when to eat.

Of course, it’s important to note that even though you are eliminating meals or restricting your food consumption, your body still needs certain nutrients on a regular basis.  Do you tend towards iron deficiency anemia? Does your GI tract work best with a high fiber diet? Do you tend to have low blood sugar when you haven’t eaten for several hours?

Remember, this is a diet.  There are no long-term studies out there looking at how well people keep the weight off or long-term effects from following this eating plan.  We don’t know about the sustainability of this diet. But, if you are wondering if you will lose weight, you probably will, at least initially.

Fad or Fix

intermittent fastingWe know that a majority of diets fail and most everyone regains the weight within 1-5 years. Is intermittent fasting just another one of those diets that will fail us?  We don’t really know.

It’s true that some of the research sounds promising, especially if you have some concerns about your weight or your health. It’s true that IF is a structured eating pattern that is pretty simple to enforce. But, before you decide to try out Intermittent Fasting for yourself, there are a few things you should consider first:

1. Is hunger good or bad?

Pain, the need to urinate, thirst, redness and swelling, hunger… all of these are signals your body gives you to send you a specific message.  IF teaches you to deny these innate body signals. Instead of hunger being a neutral message, communicating that your body needs nourishment and energy, the intermittent fasting approach requires you to conform to a dietary pattern as a means of controlling your body.

Does your body need controlling?  When we are wholly submitted to God, we are Spirit-led and self-control is a natural result or fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).  Sounds like complete surrender is what we really need!

Do you think God gave you these signals on accident?  Or, to harm you? Or, tease you?

Hunger isn’t your enemy, like some might propose.  It isn’t bad. It isn’t out to get you. Hunger isn’t out to tempt you to binge on a box of Oreos or a bag of Doritos.  Don’t give it that much power. It’s just a signal – a completely natural, neutral signal that your body is needing energy.  

When I asked one woman at my local gym if she gets hungry during her fasting period she replied, “Oh, you just chase it with water and within 15 minutes you forget about it!”  Is that the goal? To simply forget and neglect our body so we can move on with our day?

My body is what allows me to love others well and live out my purpose.  I don’t want to neglect it – I want to care for it well.

Some might wonder then, how quickly do I need to respond to this signal?  Is it ever okay or healthy to deny my body what it wants? Yes – it’s okay to say ‘No.’  These questions can help you decide how to wisely respond:

  • What does my body want right now?
  • What does my body need right now?
  • Will delaying my response to this signal in any way influence how I live, serve, and love?

For example, if you are ‘hangry’ because you haven’t eaten in hours, do you find yourself snapping at your kids? Can you concentrate in your meetings and contribute, create, and excel?

If practicing intermittent fasting doesn’t help you be a more amazing, energetic and generous person, it might be worth reconsidering this eating pattern.

2. What Eating Pattern Are You Modeling for Your Kids?

“More is caught than taught.” – Dave Ramsey.

intermittent fastingThe way we live, the words we speak, the actions we commit – they do not go unnoticed. In fact, they are often imitated by our children. What if your pre-teen asks to do IF with you? What if you begin noticing that your 6th grader keeps bringing home a lunchbox with uneaten food? Are you ready and willing to engage with your child or teen if they challenge you on the hypocrisy of making them do something you refuse to do?

Kids are looking to fit in, feel beautiful, and attract the attention they crave.  In a diet-crazed culture, they are fed daily messages that their size and physicality matter.  As Believers, we are teaching our children that the foundation of their identity is Christ – He is everything and more than enough. But, if they see us chasing weight loss or slimness, it’s natural for them to want to join in or to think that this quest is normal and good.

As the head of your household, you get to decide.  What will you model? What will you teach? Food choices, eating patterns, rest, play, movement –  How can you demonstrate what ‘healthy’ really looks like?  

3. What does a sustainable eating pattern look like to you?

If you want an eating and lifestyle plan that makes you feel good and promotes healthy living, it’s essential to choose what you can see yourself doing over the next few decades. I mean, if you plan on living a long time, then your eating plan needs to be flexible enough for the unexpected and structured enough to help you feel energized and vibrant.

Depending on the fasting method chosen, birthdays, holidays, vacations, gatherings and even family meals may be affected.  We know that more than 90% of diets fail. This means that most of us are not able to continue following them and at some point give up before having reached a goal.  Research also shows that weight regain is common among most individuals within 1-5 years, and ⅓ to ⅔ of dieters regain MORE weight than they lost on their diet.  

If you want to beat the odds, because they definitely aren’t in your favor, you must choose food and lifestyle behaviors that are sustainable.

So, what’s the play call?

You always get to choose.  There is no formula for stewarding your body.  Since it houses the presence of God, you get to determine how to nourish it, care for it and celebrate it so that it allows you to run your race well.  

But, in a culture inundated with diets and messaging that our size matters, you must refuse to get sucked in. If you are still interested in trying this eating style out, here are a few things to do:

  1. Set up an appointment with a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist; he/she can help you make sure you are able to meet your daily nutrient needs and answer your questions.
  2. Consider an 8- or 10-hour window for meals.  For example, meals from 9am-7pm or 10am-8pm. This type of window allows you to set boundaries on night snacking (if this is an issue for you), but also allows you to enjoy a family dinner together.
  3. Make sure you are already practicing nourishing, life-giving habits like eating whole foods, drinking plenty of water, moving daily, and carving out time for rest.  If these practices aren’t already in place, focus on these first.
  4. Pray about it. Your Father knows you inside and out – He wants you to flourish and feel amazing!

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. — James 1:5 (NASB)

 

I’m a Christian, Should I Meditate?

By
Team Jesus
-
meditation

Should Christians Meditate?

Did you know that the word meditate is mentioned in more than 20 scriptures in the Bible?  Although many of us hear about meditation in the mainstream wellness arena, meditation is more than just relaxing.

The Bible is clear that we should meditate on God’s Word day and night so that we will obey it, according to Joshua 1:8. This scripture reveals the clear mind-body connection between thoughts and action.  The mind-body connection is divine and created by God.

Meditation is natural.  For most of us, it’s not a matter of how do we meditate, but what do we meditate on.

We are reminded in Psalms 19:14 that meditation flows from the heart and is visible to God.  Christian meditation, in particular, is a powerful practice that is led by a heart surrendered to God and directed by the mind.

Psychology Today defines meditation as the practice of turning your attention to a single point of reference.  It can involve focusing on the breath, on bodily sensations, or on a word or phrase.  In other words, meditation means turning your attention away from distracting thoughts and focusing on the present moment.

What or Who Has Your Focus?

Did you know that worry is a form of meditation? Hard to believe but it’s true!

When we worry we turn our attention towards fear.  Fear of the known and the unknown.  We ponder every angle of a situation until the fear and the situation both become larger than life.  And, as the saying goes, whatever you give your time and attention to increases in size – and worry is no different.

In the same way, we can choose to meditate on God’s word – allowing it to become large in our lives, invoking change in our hearts, and directing our actions.  This is the beauty of the mind-body connection. We can embrace meditation as our God-given gift that we can use to draw us closer to God – or closer to our problems.

So, What’s the Play Call?

Meditate On These Things

Rick Warren, in the Purpose Driven Life describes meditation as focused thinking.  Consider focusing on Philippians 4:8 throughout your day and meditating on the various elements of the scripture listed below:

Finally, brothers and sisters, 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.

  • God is True (John 3:33)
  • Noble.
  • Right.
  • Pure.
  • Lovely.
  • Admirable
  • Excellent
  • Praiseworthy

Meditating on these God qualities plants seeds in our heart that will grow over time, manifesting a thought life that honors God and births spiritual and mental maturity.

 

Sherrell Moore-Tucker is a Wellness Professional, Writer, and Registered Yoga Instructor with the National Yoga Alliance and Holy Yoga Ministries.  Sherrell provides wellness services which tend to a person’s spiritual, mental, and physical well-being while providing accessible tools for managing stress. Join the movement and learn more about how to “Breathe in, Stress Out” at www.sherrellmooretucker.com.

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