Marking Out A Path

Today’s Bible readings are Genesis 48:1-49:33, Matthew 15:29-16:12, Psalm 20:1-9, & Proverbs 4:20-27

Proverbs 4:25-27

²⁵ Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. ²⁶ Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. ²⁷ Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.

Have you ever wondered how we can keep from losing our passion as we run our race? I have. It has really become a focus for me over the last couple of years. I have seen so many people stop running the way they once did. I have also, sadly enough, seen so many stop running all together. It has become a focus of my preaching to encourage people to finish the course.

What does that mean to you—“Finish the course.”? I have learned to appreciate the art of finishing things. I have never had a problem starting things. I can usually find the motivation or inspiration to start something. I have noticed that finishing is much more difficult to do. It requires a greater degree of discipline. That is something that is missing in many lives.

The bible speaks about the life of faith in comparison to a race.

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

Some of you reading this may just be starting your race, many have been running for a good time already. Those of you who have been running awhile know that there are times when it is tempting to stop running. It is also tempting to let up. We cannot afford to make either of these mistakes.

1 Corinthians 9:24

²⁴ Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!

It is as though God is telling us to make sure that we are doing are VERY BEST! We must run with all of our heart, soul, mind, & strength. We have to make sure that we have an undivided heart. We do this be keeping our focus. It is like an athlete who is focused on being his very best. He is willing to do what others are not so he can do what other cannot.

I want to share with you some principals that will help you run the race that God has marked out for you. As we discipline ourselves in these areas we will ensure that we finish our race with honor.

1.      Look straight ahead.

There is a lot going on around us. The sidelines & grand stand can really distract an athlete. We must keep our focus where it needs to be. You know where God is calling you. You know the things that need to be done today in order for you to arrive there in the future. GET BUSY THEM!!!

It can be easy to get overwhelmed with what needs to happen 1 week from now, 1 month from now, 1 year from now, etc… What can you do right now where you are? I like to call this “the next right thing”. We don’t need to get so far ahead of ourselves that we neglect doing what needs done most right now.

Looking too far into the future can keep people from doing anything. If they think of all that needs to happen in order for their marriage to turn around it may be more than they can handle. It could also appear to be more than is possible. That is why, for me, I like to just look ahead & do what is before me.

2.      Put together a plan & do it.

Failing to plan is planning to fail. That doesn’t mean that you have to have a 32 point agenda to get somewhere. But it does mean that we have to have a mark that we are shot for. We must have determined goal that we are working to achieve.

As we begin to strategize in this way we will make progress. Right now, things may really be crazy in your finances, family, etc… but that can & will change as you determine to stay the course & move forward.

Our reading told us to mark out a straight path. I think this is very important. We don’t need to get complicated or make things difficult. Let’s make sure that we don’t spend a ton of time going back around the mountain. Progress is the goal. Forward motion is key.

3.      Practice integrity in your personal life.

It is the little fox that spoils the vine. There is nothing that will knock a person out of the race quicker than guilt. That is why we have to maintain a level of personal integrity that is impeccable. The enemy is always looking for something to bring a charge against us. We can’t make foolish decisions because this gives him ammunition.

That is why we must make sure to practice integrity in every area of our life. It must be in our business life, our dealings with others, sexual purity, etc…  If we purpose to be people of character & integrity we will close many doors that he would try to come in.

I want to remind you that we will miss the mark at times. If you do, repent quickly. Asking God for forgiveness will cleanse you from the feelings of unrighteousness. When you repent know that you are forgiven. His grace is greater than all our sin. Mae sure that guilt is the first weight that you throw off. Your race will be much easier to run without the weight of shame & guilt slowing you down.

God’s love for you is great. Let that love come & lift you. I declare that in Christ you are free from guilt. Live the life that Christ has paid for you to have with His precious blood. He will increase your power by imparting His. Determine to FINISH STRONG!

Pastor Richard Schlotter

Time For a New Heart

Today's Bible readings are Genesis 46:1-47:31, Matthew 15:1-28, Psalm 19:1-14, & Proverbs 4:14-19

Psalm 19:14

¹⁴ May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

We see today in our reading in Matthew & in our reading in Psalm, 2 witnesses to the same topic. If why see things in the testimony of 2 witnesses the scripture teaches that it is a truth. I believe that the Spirit is speaking to us today through our readings. I believe that He is asking: "It is time for open heart surgery." 

Jesus made it clear in His teaching this morning in Matthew's gospel that what comes out of a man comes from his heart. He listed things like these:

1. evil thoughts
2. murder
3. adultery
4. sexual immorality
5. theft
6. lying 
7. slander

 

He told us that these things come from our heart.  These are usually things that people want to eliminate from their lives. They are things that we can spend a lot of time trying to get rid of. We can work hard to stop doing them but unless we deal with the root of the problem they will resurface. The root of the tree must be destroyed in order to ensure that the fruit on the tree will cease.

We must understand that the real problem is a heart condition. When we let the wrong things fill out hearts we will see those wrong things produce the wrong fruit. Paul said to the Galatians

Galatians 6:7-8

⁷ Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸ Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

There is plenty of opportunity each day to let the wrong things fill our hearts.

1. Disappointments
2. Failures
3. Hurt feelings
4. Resentment
5. Revenge seeking
6. Rehearsing our problems 
7. Playing the blame game

These are just to name a few. This is the stuff that we are presented each day to fill our minds with. These things, if left unchecked, will sink down into our hearts & develop into attitudes which will lead to behaviors. This affects the way we treat people, respond in given situations, & view daily life. It greatly determines what we believe about ourselves. The issues of our heart matter.

Proverbs 4:23

²³ Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

 

We must be very intentional about the things that we give place in our heart. Those things can take root before we are even aware of it. There are some things that we just don't need to spend much time thinking about. Then, there are other things that need to be on our heart when we wake up & still be there when we lay down for sleep at night.

I want to share with you a few things that I do to guard my heart.

1. Forgive quickly.

There are so many opportunities each day to get offended. You can't afford to take the bait. When unforgiveness gets into your heart it is an open door for other destructive things to come. Nothing is worth staying upset about. 

Most of the years that I spent pumping drugs into my body was done because I was holding unforgiveness toward somebody. I thought I was hurting them for what they had done to me but I really just hurt myself by hanging on to it. The pain that I had to keep in order to stay mad was the very thing that drove me to use. Forgiveness could have prevented it all.

2. Stay away from people who are doubters & haters.

Jesus said it best today:

Matthew 15:13-14

¹³ Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted, ¹⁴ so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.”

Pay attention to the people that you let speak into your life. Their words are going straight to your heart. Remember, it was the wrong things being spoken into your life that got you where you are. DON'T LET THAT HAPPEN AGAIN!

Surround yourself with people who believe & say about you what God does.

1. You are a new creature.

2. You are God's masterpiece.

3. You are made in His image.

4. You are God's child.

5. God is for you.

6. You can do all things through Christ.

7. You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

These are the things that you want to circulating in your heart & mind. They produce overcoming faith & victory. Refuse to give place to anything else.

 3. Daily surrender to the Spirit's Lordship.

I know, at least in my life, I have to daily give my heart to the Spirit. I have to surrender each day. Many think of surrender as a 1 time event. That has never been the case for me. I have always had a very strong will. I can pick it up if I'm not cautious. Therefore, I daily surrender it.

It is what David realized when he cried:

Psalm 51:10-11

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. ¹¹ Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

This came after a time of great failure but I'm convinced if this would have been his cry each day, as it was in his early years, the failure NEVER would have occurred. Humility truly is the key. Surrender will keep our hearts humble.

Listen to the words of this song by Hillsong:

Lord, I give You my heart
I give You my soul
I live for You alone
Every Breath I take
Every moment I'm awake
Lord, have Your way in me

I can assure you that if this can become our honest prayer each morning then--the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart WILL BE  pleasing to MY KING.

Pastor Richard Schlotter 

Warriors Arise

Today's Bible readings are Genesis 44:1-45:28, Matthew 14:13-36, Psalm 18:37-50, & Proverbs 4:11-13

 

Psalm 18:37-38

³⁷ I chased my enemies and caught them; I did not stop until they were conquered. ³⁸ I struck them down so they could not get up; they fell beneath my feet.

What a picture of a warrior in pursuit of those that are out to take his life. I see a fierce soldier determined to finally have freedom over the ones that have been railing & thrashing for so long. There is that moment when a warrior knows that now is the opportunity to finish the work. No more just holding my ground. Today is the day to eliminate them once & for all.

This was common in the days of war. An enemy would come out & draw up their lines. Sometimes they would ambush in the night. Other times they would attack at an unsuspected time. But this time the man of God finally got the upper hand. His enemy was running. This time was different. He had a killer instinct kick in that said, "Finish him." The man of God had put up with the assaults long enough & had realized the only way it was going to end was to conquer them with force.

This is a vivid picture of what needs to happen in our lives. There are many things that the enemy will use to beat us down. We often just let him do his thing. We find a little freedom from the things & settle for it, only to see it return at a later date. It's like the guy who is addicted to porn. He has times where he doesn't view it but then it grabs him out of nowhere. It is like the person who has had a drinking problem that finds moments of sobriety only to return to drinking for no apparent reason. Another example is the woman who manages her emotions for a season & then the meltdowns return. This leaves us in such frustration.

I want you to here from the Lord this morning--"It is time to conquer these enemies once & for all".

David saw the value in pursue what had been pursuing him. He understood that he could never live in peace with these enemies of his. They had to be destroyed.

I struck them down so they could not get up;

 

There are many things that people try to live with & manage. For instance:

1. Anger issues
2. Depression
3. Worry
4. Addictions
5. Fear/resentments
6. Sexual issues
7. Past hurts/insecurities

There is no hope in living in peace with any of these things or other things like them. They will always ravage & plunder you if they are allowed to remain. They don't want to be your friend, they want to rule you. They want to destroy you. We must persistently strive to overcome them so they lose all power of us. Regardless of popular opinion you can have TOTAL VICTORY over these in Christ!

I know this to be true. I use to be a addicted to drugs & anything else that could make me feel good. I pumped myself full of anything & everything to help me like myself. When it started to produce problems in my life I realized something needed t change. 

I began to try to find help. I was taught that it would always be a part of me. I was told that I would always be an addict. I bought into that idea for a bit. I had no hope of conquering the addiction, only trying to find a way to live free from it. It only left me struggling again. 

Then I got saved. I got filled with the Holy Spirit. I began to realize that I had power to conquer all things in this life. I began to exercise the power that was in me by faith. I began to break ties with those old things instead of live in peace with them. I MADE WAR!!!

I decided that there was something better that Christ had to offer me. I made up my mind to desire His plans for me. It was then that I set out to destroy the things that had been part of my past for as long as I could remember. Thanks be to God for the freedom that I have found. I have conquered my enemies. I can say with absolute confidence--THEY WILL NEVER A PLACE IN MY LIFE AGAIN!

I challenge you today to make war against the things that have made war against you. Purpose in your heart that you will not just settle for a season of rest form these things. You can have total freedom & total victory in Christ. Don't wait for them to show their ugly face again before yo do something about it. You now what they are. Put them on notice right now. Declare war! No more living with blinders on. Don't wait for them to attack you, attack them!

Remember your weapons:

1. Belt of truth
2. Helmet of salvation
3. Breastplate of righteousness
4. Shoe of the gospel of peace
5. Shield of faith 
6. Sword of the Spirit
7. Lance of prayer

You are a warrior in Christ! You day of freedom has dawned. Declare it & go get it in Jesus Name!!!

 Pastor Richard Schlotter

Learning to Trust God

Today's Bible readings are Genesis 42:18-43:34, Matthew 13:47-14:12, Psalm 18:16-36, & Proverbs 4:7-10

Genesis 42:36

³⁶ Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!

As I read these words I can relate so much to the feelings that come off the pages at me. I hear such distrust & fear. I can sense that there must have been overwhelming, raw emotion at the report that came back to Jacob. Immediately his mind gravitated to the past. It is apparent to me that the pain of losing Joseph was still very much a part of his heart. It still had a great hold on him.

This is all too familiar to many of us. We have experienced loss in the past that is still far too fresh in our memory. Maybe somebody lied to you about something, a spouse had an affair, you found out somebody you trusted was doing something behind your back, or a friend was saying things about you that wasn’t true.

We have all had similar experiences to these take place in our lives. Some people have experienced such distrust that it takes a lot of intentional effort to overcome the effects. In the meantime, that distrust may begin to affect the way that we view God. We may hold back in trusting Him because we have been let down by others in the past. We may refrain from trusting Him because we don’t want to get hurt.

That must have been the case here with Jacob. The wound that he carried in his heart from the tragedy of losing his son was never really recovered from. He carried the hurt all those years. I’m sure that there were those moments when he even blamed himself for what had happened to his son. None the less, he developed trust issues.

What I have noticed to be the pattern of most people is that they are willing to trust God to a certain point then they put the brakes on. I have had this happen in my own life. It usually takes me some time, just like in the case with Jacob, before I notice what is happening & then come to my senses. Some people never reach that point because they never learn steps to take to grow in faith & trust in their Lord.

I want to share with you a few promises FOR THOSE WHO TRUST IN GOD:

·       He will care for those who trust Him.

The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him” (Nahum 1:7).

·       He will never forsake those who trust Him.

“Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you” (Psa. 9:10).

·   He will guide those who trust Him.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and He will make your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5-6).

·       He will always be there for those who trust Him.

“Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you” (Psa. 9:10).

·       He will bless those who trust Him.

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him” (Jer. 17:7).

 I want to talk about some specific things that we can do to build our trust in God. If we focus on doing these simple things we will find in easier to trust Him. As we discipline ourselves we will find that God is VERY TRUSTWORTHY.

1.      Understand that God CANNOT lie.

Titus 1:2-3

² This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began. ³ And now at just the right time he has revealed this message, which we announce to everyone. It is by the command of God our Savior that I have been entrusted with this work for him.

We all have the ability to lie. We all have the ability to fail. God has neither. He can never lie & He can never fail. I want to point out that it is not because some special rule says He can’t, but rather, HE DOESN’T HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO EITHER.

It’s like slam dunking a basketball. I would love to do it but the ability is just not there. I could NEVER slam dunk a basketball. There is no special rule that forbids me to, the fact that the ability to do it is not in me; same way with God when it comes to lying & failing. Remember God is TRUTH. God is the Almighty One. Nothing is impossible for Him.

2.      Recall God’s past victories.

You are not the first person who has struggled with trust. There have been many who have gone before you who have had greater things before them than you & I. Yet, we see that God came through for them. That is why the Holy Spirit has penned their stories in the Bible. They are to inspire us to trust in God ourselves. As we read their stories it builds great faith in us. Remember that faith comes by hearing & hearing by the Word of God.

3.      Reject discouraging words.

When you are trying to grow in your trust in God, you must guard your heart. Life & death is in the power of the tongue. A word can cut to the heart or it can build up your life. Stay away from people who are going to fill your head with thoughts of distrust. You want to be around people who are going to inspire you to believe even further than you are daring to believe. We need to be stretched. Many people are small minded. They have no dreams & don’t want you to have any either. Avoid them at all cost.

4.      Respond with faith-filled confessions at all times.

Make sure the things that come out of your mouth agrees with what you are trying to accomplish. David was faced with a great challenge when he went out to fight Goliath. There was a lot that happened along the way that tried to cripple his trust in God. He responded to those challenges with faith-filled confession.

              

o   He told Saul he had already been given victory over a lion & a bear.

o   He confessed God could do it again.

o   When intimidated, he declared, “who is this uncircumcised Philistine?”

What comes out of your mouth matters as much as what goes into your ears & mind. If they all line up you will grow in faith & trust for sure. Make an effort to grow in the area of trust. God is faithful & is worthy of you utmost TRUST!

Pastor Richard Schlotter

IT'S A NEW DAY

Today's Bible readings are Genesis 41:17-42:17, Matthew 13:24-46, Psalm 18:1-15, & Proverbs 4:1-6

Genesis 41:41-44

⁴¹ So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” ⁴² Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. ⁴³ He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

⁴⁴ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.”

How quick things can turn around in a person’s life that loves God. In the story of Joseph we see a young man with a vision & dream form God. God had a great plan for this man’s life. He began to reveal that plan to Joseph & immediately Joseph suffered great adversity.

The adversity that Joseph faced was not the work of God. It was the work of the enemy trying to hinder the plan of God. We need to make sure that we never give God the credit for what the enemy has done. This is satan’s greatest angle. He steals, kills, & destroys, then convinces us that it was God trying to teach us something. Here is the problem with that: If we think it was God we don’t resist it.

James 4:7

⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Joseph knew that it was not God who was trying to destroy him. This comes out later in his story when he tells his brothers that God turned the plan they had to harm into blessing. I’m sure there were days when the though came that God had forsaken him. It is natural for those thoughts to come. It is the progression of the temptation that satan presents. But Joseph submitted himself to God & the plan that God had for his life & resisted what he knew was not part of that plan.

Show do we know what is from God & what is from the enemy? Here are some things to consider as you try to discern between the 2.

1.      Is it life-giving?

Remember that God is the giver of life. He will never bring death or destruction into your life. He does not have either of them in His storehouse. Remember, a man gives out of what He has stored up in Him. God is light & in Him there is NO DARKNESS AT ALL.

2.      Does it line up with His Word?

God will never lead us in a way contrary to His Word. His Word is the primary way for us to know His will. It is His revealed will to us. If there are things going on that are not in line with His nature & character as revealed in His Word then we must resist it. If things happen that go against what He has spoken in His Word then we resist it. God will NEVER make you sick & He will NEVER make you poor. He has come so that we MIGHT HAVE LIFE IN ABUNDANCE!

3.      Does it match His character?

When Moses asked God to show him His glory, God said, “I will cause My goodness to pass in front of you.” God is GOOD. When He passed by this is what He declared about Himself, “I am gracious, slow to anger, rich love, good to all. That is the character of our God. If it doesn’t match what He has told us of Himself then we should resist it.

When we funnel everything through these determining factors we will be more equipped to know what is from God & what is not. This is going to greatly improve our ability to resist what needs to be resisted & embrace what needs to be embraced.

I want to point out that this is what gives us confidence as we are going through the trials of faith & life. When we know God’s will we know that we will not be shaken. There is a certain degree of boldness that comes with knowing the will of the Lord. Joseph had that. It kept Him strong until that will came to pass.

I like to live my life knowing that it could come any second. The reality is that it could. It did in the life of Joseph. One day everything turned around for him. It happened so quickly that it may have left him a little in shock even though he knew it was going to happen.

I don’t know what it is that you are trusting & believing God for. Maybe there are some things that God has placed in your heart that you are holding onto. It may have been awhile since He first put them there. There may be some things that have happened since He put them there. It may look like things are going in reverse instead of forward. Let me encourage you in the Lord today by telling you that it is a new day. New mercies are falling right now. Remember how quickly it turned around for Joseph & know that the same thing can happen for you!

1.      Health CAN CHANGE

2.      Finances CAN CHANGE

3.      Relationships CAN CHANGE

4.      Hearts CAN CHANGE

5.      Situations CAN CHANGE

6.      YOU CAN CHANGE

BUT GOD WILL NEVER CHANGE. HE WILL REMAIN THE SAME.

1.      Good

2.      Faithful

3.      Loving

4.      Merciful

5.      Compassionate

6.      Forgiving

7.      Strong

Pastor Richard Schlotter

Death of a Dream

Today's Bible readings are Genesis 39:1-41:16, Matthew 12:46-13:23, Psalm 17:1-15, & Proverbs 3:33-35

We talked yesterday about dreaming God-sized dreams. It is ironic that in today's readings we see what happens when we do. I find it interesting that in both, the New Testament & the Old Testament, we see people with God's heart who are opposed by others.

In the life of Joseph, we see that his brothers where the first to turn on him for the God Dream that he had. In the life of Jesus we see something very similar.

Matthew 12:46-47

⁴⁶ As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. ⁴⁷ Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, and they want to speak to you.”

Have you ever wondered what t was that they wanted to talk to Him about that day? I have. It really only begins to make sense if we look at what it was He was saying & doing before they came to visit. 

Jesus was preaching & teaching everywhere that He went. He was not preaching this political correct gospel that is heard much of today. He was denouncing sin; not just in the live of the worldly either. He was in the face of the religious leaders of the day. He was calling them out on their plastic, phony religion. It was what He was sent to do. He was to cause the blind to see & also to cause those who think they could see to become blind. 

They did not like the things that He was saying. They became angry. They had such control in this generation. Jesus' family probably came to try to talk some sense into Him. They were maybe going to tell Jesus to tone it down a little before He got in trouble. 

It is strange to me, but I do notice, that often the greatest hindrance to God's plan for our lives are those closest to us. I think this is for many reasons. I have noticed that we really care what they think. What they say really matters. Somethings we let it matter to much. 

The enemy will do whatever he can to kill your dream. He will use the people closest to you, if they let him, or he can get us into offense by something they say or do, either way his objective is to steal, kill, & destroy. We have to take our stand against him.

I have learned that we must guard our dream that God has placed in us. There is plenty of things that will come to deter us from what God wants to so in us & through us. We can't afford to get distracted. To many people have gone to the grave with a dream that God gave them that they never pursued. That is the greatest tragedy of all. 

I remember when I was in prison. I was believing God for a release. People closest to me thought they were doing me a favor by telling me not to get my hopes up. They were killing what was happening inside of me without even knowing it. I know they were doing what they thought was best. They didn't want to see me get let down. But the problem was, they never saw who was holding me up!

I had to choose who I was going to listen to. I look back & I'm so glad that I choose God. I don't know what life would be like today if I would have let go of that first dream. Things could be a lot different.

I see it to many times. I say that enough is enough. Here are some things that you can do to make sure that you never have another God-dream die in your life again.

1. Once you know that God has spoke to you--REFUSE TO BE MOVED BY ANYTHING OR ANYONE.  

I'm not suggesting that you be rude, but I am saying that you need to be stubborn. That's right, stubborn.  Don't let anybody talk you out of what God has spoke. It can happen subtle. So we have to be very keen not to digress in that direction. If you give the devil an inch he will truly become you ruler.

2. Build your faith.

You are going to need to make sure that your faith is strong. Things are going to come to test you. Be strong in advance. Don't wait for things to get tough before you start digging into His Word & prayer. Do this in advance knowing that the day will come when you will need to be prayed up & ready. This is what Peter meant.

1 Peter 5:8

⁸ Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

 

  3. Live life as though it has already occurred.

This is the part that takes great courage. People may laugh. People may talk. Remember, they did the same things to Jesus. But we have to operate in faith. Be who God has called you to be. Live out the life that HE has spoke into your heart. This is the key to satisfaction. This is the reason we need to be free. You are free. Now be free to be who you are in Christ.


Pastor Richard

God-sized Dreams

Today's Bible reading are Genesis 37:1-38:30, Matthew 12:22-45, Psalm 16:1-11, Proverbs 3:27-32

How big are you dreams? That is a question that has really been bouncing in my mind of late. As I read today's reading it is no different. I can't help but think about this great dream that was given to Joseph. It wasn't a dream that he dreamed up. It was a dream that his parents instilled in him. It was a dream that came from God. I call these "God-sized dreams."

God-sized dreams are the kind of dreams that can only be accomplished through Him.They usually are so extravagant that we would never dare to dream them up on our own.

I have noticed that most people are only comfortable praying for & dreaming for dreams that they know they can accomplish. It is comfortable to them. Most people are not risk takers. Risk frightens us.But here is a thought to consider--If you only pray small & only dream small then you will only receive small.

Joseph was given a dream by God. It was a dream that only God could fulfill in His life. What would have happened if he would have passed it of as to big to come true? What would have been the outcome if he would have settled for boiling that God-sized dream down to a small dream?

I have some God-sized dreams.

1. I want to see every member of our church filled with the Holy Spirit.
2. I want to have a Christian school in our church that is supported by our church in such a way that all children of our church can get a Christ-centered education for FREE.
3. I want to see every family in our community praising the God of creation together.
4. I want to see a revival starting at the top of our government & working down to every branch.

One thing that I know about theses type of dreams is that if God is not behind it they will never happen. I will never have the ability or wisdom to make this happen on my own. But with God this is small beans to a heart that is willing to wait patiently & pray faithfully.

I want to challenge you today to find a quiet place & start to pray God-sized prayer. Wait on the Lord until He speaks to you His God-sized dreams for your life.What could be in your family with a dream from God?
What could be different in those broken relationships with a dream from God?

Ephesians 3:20-21

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

 

 

Pastor Richard Schlotter