Picture
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority and not as their teachers of the law.     Matthew 7:28

Jesus’ teaching was a whole lot different than the other teachers’ teachings.

The crowds were amazed because it was more powerful - he spoke as one who actually had authority!

Do you realize that Christ is in you, if you are a believer and have made him Lord? The same man who AMAZED crowds by his authority is in - you.

Yet so many believers walk around acting powerless. We walk and let situations in life trample over us. We let heartaches drown us.

No, the one who has authority over everything is in you.

Believe it. See it. Let your life show you believe this. Say to your problems, “You won’t overcome me. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”

So there, now you can stand firm. Standing, realizing you have access to His Power & Authority changes everything. You now have access to Him!

And as believers, it is now our calling to be what the Bible displays we should be. Stephen Furtick says it beautifully,

“I am a connector to the current of the power of Christ.”

We connect people to Christ’s power. Our lives, our love, our eyes, our hearts, our words - connect others to the current of the power of Christ.

RECOGNIZE the access, through Christ’s death and resurrection, you have to the power & authority of GOD.
CONNECT others to that power.

As a believer, YOU are a connector to the current of the power of Christ.


When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority and not as their teachers of the law.     Matthew 7:28

Seeing His authority and power, they (and we) will be amazed! Because it is unlike any other.

RECOGNIZE and CONNECT! These best take place when quiet time with God has taken place!

Do you recognize the access we have to God’s power?
How can we connect others to the power of GOD?

Always remember: HE loves you :)
 
LIONS. And tigers & bears - OH MY!

There’s a story in the Old Testament of the Bible about this guy named Benaiah. Have you seen the movie 300?

Yea, it was great. This is cooler.

“Benaiah…on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it.”   2 Samuel 23:20

Why is this story so amazing?
    1) Benaiah chased a lion on a snowy day. A lion would have much better reflexes and fighting skills on a snowy day than any human.
    2) Benaiah chased a lion. Normal people run from lions, but Benaiah chased one.
    3) Into a pit. Benaiah chased a lion into a pit on a slippery, snowy day.
    4) He killed it. Not with a gun. Probably with some mad karate-kid skills that Jackie Chan's ancestors taught him.

Rather than running from the lion like a scaredy cat, Benaiah took this amazing opportunity to be a Lion Chaser.

What appear as our great problems are often our greatest opportunities.

Why do so many Christians seem like scaredy-cats rather than Lion Chasers? We don’t take awesome risks - risks that give God awesome room to show His miraculous power. Why do we always focus so much on playing it safe? Why do we buckle up in fear so easily?

Mark Batterson addressed this beautifully:
“Most of our problems are not circumstantial. Most of our problems are perceptual. Our biggest problems can be traced back to an inadequate understanding of who God is. Our problems seem really big because our God seems really small…”

Benaiah didn’t see a huge problem - he saw a huge opportunity.

What you see as your biggest problem - realize it’s a HUGE opportunity. Chase it. Allow room for God to show His miraculous provision!

What lion do you need to chase?
Picture
Today's message based off this book by Mark Batterson!
I highly recommend it!
Click the pic to buy it!
 
Picture
Image from Threadless.com
The Oxford English Dictionary defines procrastination as “verb delay or postpone action.” I actually find it very funny that procrastination is a verb. That brings procrastination into a new light.

We feel tired. We don’t feel like doing what we have to do; need to do. Rather than focusing all of our energies on completing what we have to do (and therefore doing it well), we do something else: procrastinate.

The fact that procrastination is an action shows how ridiculously crazy we are: we delay doing something we have to do which makes us stress out and worry about it. Ah! Sounds like fun!

Hello, I’m Jared. I’m a procrastaholic by nature (I know, I’m ashamed…). Let’s be honest, procrastination isn’t something that’s rare with people our age. I think that’s why God made me hate it. Now, when I say hate, I’m delivering a Simon Cowell –style “dis” right there. It is appalling. A monstrosity. If I could kill it, I would – and then I would kill it again (the second time being pure pleasure). OK, I’m getting carried away; back on track!

God recently healed me of my procrastination. He gave me a new, “Get er done!” mindset that I LOVE! Rather than stressing, I now complete tasks on time & beautifully (it’s a sin to lie, so I had to be honest there J).

GOD wants to heal you of your procrastination problems, too. So, what do you do?

PRAY. I did a lot of this about my procrastination and time-wasting.

Talk to God. Tell Him your problem and how you want to overcome it for His Glory. And keep praying. Oh, and keep praying. Believe.

Picture
When you feel like procrastinating – delaying or postponing an action – do what I do: remember the Nike slogan: “Just Do It”!

Oh, it feels really good when you just do it!

One area we especially don’t want to procrastinate in is our relationship with God. Even now, I procrastinate in certain aspects of it. For me, it’s often reading the Bible (God’s been helping me!).  What we especially don’t want to procrastinate in is the securing of our eternity. Don’t procrastinate by just thinking about it. Our years are short!

Hebrews 3 says, ““See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. As has just been said:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
 do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion.”
"

Please decide, TODAY, to SECURE your place in Heaven.   If not now, when?

If you want to know more about how to begin a relationship with God & Jesus Christ, please read this & this and this and message me through “Contact Us” above!

What have you been procrastinating from recently? Let’s have an open discussion so that we may help each other!
 
"Everyone ends up somewhere, but few people end up somewhere on purpose." - Craig Groeschel, Senior Pastor//LifeChurch.tv
Picture
Free Growth template below!

The Bible says in Proverbs 29:18, "Where there is no vision, the people will perish."


That is why I developed the SSGP - Summer Spiritual Growth Plan.

It may sound like homework, but trust me it is most definitely not. This  tool will help free you, actually, to do what we all long to do: Grow closer to God.

When we don't have vision for our relationship with God...we'll end up somewhere...but most likely somewhere further from God. The SSGP will help you cast a vision for what you want your relationship with God to look like this summer (through your alone time) - and it'll help you keep it. Now, that's pretty sweet, huh? :)

Go ahead and download and print the SSGP below! It is a very simple 1 page document! (I included a 2nd page describing what to do on the 1st page if you need some help!)

What is your Vision Statement from your Growth Plan?
summer_spiritual_growth_plan.doc
File Size: 52 kb
File Type: doc
Download File