Wednesday, September 19, 2007

One of the things I like about life is food!
Food is cool. Good food makes me feel good….
Some of my favourite things to eat include Veal Scallopini, Cheesecake, Roast Turkey…(I am getting hungry just thinking it...hehehehe)

Isn’t it cool that something we need to consume each day to live can taste so good and even give us pleasure.
In fact lots of the most exciting things we do in life are associated with food.
For birthday’s we have cake.
At weddings we have a feast.
And even at sad occasions, like funerals, there is normally something to eat afterwards.

Someone the other day asked me where I get fed…
Now they weren’t meaning, where do I get the food I have just been
mentioning.
They were meaning to ask, where do I get fed from God?

I can ask you the same question...
Where are you being fed at the moment?
Are you getting enough to eat?

Just as your natural body needs and enjoys natural food.
Your spiritual body, your spirit, your soul...they need food as well.
If they go hungry or even starve, you will find your life quite difficult to cope with!

One day Jesus was talking to his disciples. He said that he had food that they didn’t know anything about. That his food came from a supernatural source. That he even gained sustenance through doing God’s will. (John 4:31-34)

Here are some places where you can get some food from God...

Communing with God
Simply by spending time talking to God like you would anyone else...except that he is God. Reading some of the Bible. Read good Christian books.

Church
This is a great place to worship with other believers. Plus the bonus of
someone sharing something from God and his word. It will help grow and develop you.

Connect Groups
Spending meaningful time with other believers and being real with them will help fill you up. You will feel connected!

Contributing
Just like Jesus recognized...contributing to the Kingdom of God will feed you. Whether that be through serving in some way and tithing...you will grow!

Again...where are you being feed?

We have a great buffet of places and ways for you to be fed!
Don’t just do one...do them all!
You will not regret it...

Locky

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

As I drove home from work the other day I suddenly remembered a terrible thing I did many years a go.
Now it wasn’t as if I had never dealt with it before…
Or that I had never asked God to forgive me…
It just was so random and made me feel stink!
Nothing I had been thinking about or listening too, or even looking at related to the thoughts that flooded my brain.

So after a great day at work, here I was pulling up to some lights feeling quite bad about myself.
It seemed to make me feel like I was someone who didn’t deserve God to bless my life or even love me…

I started to think about why I was feeling that way.
Reminded myself that I dealt with that issue many years ago.
Reminded myself that when we ask God to forgive us of something that he does… In fact he says he removes our sin as far as the east is from the west!

I then chose to pray!
I thanked God for forgiving me years before.
...and then I felt great again...

After thinking about this event I remembered that the Bible talks about the devil wanting to shoot flamming arrows or darts at us.
Obviously they are not real arrows but something spiritual.
I think they are sometimes little reminders of your past.
Because he wants to make you feel bad.
To stop you being all you can be for God.

But you have to fight and you have to defend yourself!
And then you will always WIN!

Read this famous passage of scripture.
Let it encourage you and give a plan when the enemy tries to put you off...

Ephesians 6
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

God bless!

Locky

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

The Bible talks a lot about gifts.

The Bible even says that each one of us has at least one gift (1Corinthians 7:7), something special that will make a difference in our world.

I been thinking a lot about this during the week and have broken my
discoveries about God’s gifts to us into 5 levels.

Level_1_Salvation
Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God
This is the most basic level and the foundation of our faith.
God’s foremost gift to us is Salvation.

Level_2_Holy Spirit
Acts 2:38
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
God wants to give you the power to live out the life he planned for us. He wants us to have the same anointing Jesus had as he walked the earth.
Now that is cool!

Level_3_Natural Abilities
1 Peter 4:10
Each one should use whatever gift he has received
Many people are born with abilities in certain areas. Whether it be sports or academics or working with your hands...God has implanted something into your dna.

Level_4_Life Basics
All of us need some basic stuff to help us enjoy life.
And God wants to give that stuff to you freely!
For example...
Peace
Colossians 3:15
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts
Wisdom
James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives
generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.


Level_5_Spiritual
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

1 Corinthians 14:1 says that we should eagerly desire the spiritual gifts…
That it is something to desire and ask God for.

God wants to give…that is his heart!
We simply have to receive / accept what he wants to give us.
It is not about deserving it, it about what the giver wants to give you.

Remember when you were a kid and people probably asked you questions like…”what do you want for your birthday or Christmas?”
How about approaching God the same way?
Ask him for the gifts he wants to give you?
- Salvation
- Holy Spirit
- Peace / Wisdom
- Spiritual
Whatever you need?
Ask him for it if you don’t have it!