Tag Archives: life

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U-Turn Blessings!

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u_turn_sign_2So you have heard from God and made the decision to turn your life around! The Spirit has spoken and you have listened from the inside – out!  The message inside your heart will change the outside of your life!  Now that you are heading away from the destructive patterns of the world and toward the constructive plans of Heaven – what should you expect?

When we repent, change, u-turn or 180, then we can expect God to show up in big ways! God wants to do an amazing work to you and through you!

First – we can look for REFRESHING! I talk to people every day about life stuff and have discovered that most people are tired, frustrated, discouraged and just plain weak from the blows that life has dealt them.  We all need and long for refreshing!  Refreshing is not something that we can do for ourselves.  Refreshing is the work of God.  You can open your life to it, but God has to do the work.  When we repent, we open our lives to the refreshing work of the Holy Spirit.  God comes into our tired, frustrated and discouraged lives and strengthens us with power, hope and encouragement.

Second – God will provide RESTORATION! This is an amazing and beautiful gift from God.  Often times as we live our lives and make mistakes, we will later discover that our mistakes were not cheap, in fact they often costs us so much more than we ever dreamed we would have to pay.  But God is more than faithful and when we repent, He begins to put back together the broken pieces of our lives.  Your life may seem like a big ole mess, but it is never to big of a mess for God.  In fact God specializes in taking the impossible and making it possible!  Just trust Him and do what you know you need to do!

Third – God will bring REVIVAL! God has a whole new spiritual place that He wants to take you.  He has things that He wants to show you that will change your life for all eternity.  God wants to grow you from the inside-out and enable you to do awesome and mighty things for Him and His glory.

Make sure that you have made the turn away from self and go running just as fast as you can into the open arms of a loving Heavenly Father!  You will be glad, so glad that you did – as you experience His refreshing, restoration and revival!

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Tempted!

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Are you ever tempted?  That is really a crazy question, because the answer is obvious!  We are all tempted in many ways, on just about everyday of our lives!  

It starts in the morning when you need to get up and get going – you are tempted to just stay in the warm and cozy bed.  You get up and you are tempted to take shortcuts in getting ready, but your looks and smells are to important to mess that one up.  You are tempted to skip breakfast or to just grab a Snickers, instead of taking the time to eat something that is good for you.  When you get in your car, you are tempted to not wear you seat belt and you are tempted to speed to work, because you are running late!  (In fact – some of us have already given into a few at this point!)

When you get to work you are tempted to clean some body’s clock, because they looked at you funny or said the wrong thing!  You are tempted to get on Facebook and day dream a little, but there is just way to much to do.  You are tempted to really blow it at lunch, but you know – you won’t be fit for the afternoon if you really eat all of that food at the Chinese Buffet!  You are tempted to leave early – who would know and would that really be stealing?

When you get home you are tempted to crash on the couch with a glass of milk and eat all of the Oreo cookies!  You are tempted to watch a lot of different shows, but instead you give into the temptation to just flip from channel to channel to channel for over an hour.  You think:  Why did I just waste so much time watching a bunch of nothing?

Finally, tired of it all – you fall into bed and remember that you forgot to brush your teeth – you are tempted to say skip it, until you lean over to kiss your spouse and they say:  “No way Oreo breath!”  You fall a sleep and dream about temptation and actually wake up feeling guilty because you gave into the temptation in your dreams!

I hope you will join me this coming Sunday morning at Northwood as we learn from Jesus about how to face and overcome some of the more serious and threatening  temptations of life!  Hope to see ya Sunday at one of our two campuses!

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Shine Bright!

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There is a lot of talk about churches becoming relevant to our culture!  I am all for our doing whatever it takes to reach people for Jesus, but we need to make sure that we are reaching people for Jesus and not just attracting a crowd.  Jesus said in John 8:12  “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  Light is not a tool that we earn, it is a gift that we posses!  Jesus is the light and when we accept Him, we become the light.

In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus put it this way:  “You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.”  As we share Jesus by shining our light in the midst of the darkness, people will be attracted to God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness!

We do not have to dumb down holiness to make it attractive to a lost and dying world.  In fact, when we dumb it down, it ceases to be real holiness.  We need to raise up the bar of discipleship and let the world know that if you are going to be a Christian, it means more than attending church and going through the motions.  To be a Christian means denying self, taking up our cross and following Him.  And this is the best and brightest way to shine our lights into this dark world – by denying self, taking up our cross and following Him!  (Matthew 16:24)  I’ve got some work to do!  SHINE BRIGHT!