My summary on Divine Direction

We have just completed a 4 week teaching series at our Church inspired by the book Divine Direction by Craig Groeschel!
Thanks Pastor Craig - you are awesome sharing your resources with the world...
And then today I was speaking at a local school and felt to summarise what we have learned together for the kids at their assembly.

So if you are in a place right now looking for some divine direction for your life, maybe these thoughts could help you today?

Do Not Panic!

A man’s heart plans his way, 
but the Lord directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9 NKJV

If you are doing your best to follow Jesus, to live right...you have nothing to worry about.
God has vested interest in helping you make great choices about your future!
You don’t have to have everything all planned out, because He does.
Trust Him to lead you and guide you on that plan, whenever you need a next step...

Trusting God with your life will make it more of an adventure!

Look for what grabs your attention

3They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
4When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Nehemiah 1:3-4 NIV

• Nehemiah was a Cup Bearer for the leader of the nation where his people were in exile.
• Glorified ‘Suicidal Sommelier’
• His one job is bring the best wine to his boss.
• Make sure it is the right quality. Taste it to make sure it won’t kill his boss (possible to die on the job).

Nehemiah hears this news and for some divine reason it impacts his life like no other news he has heard before. Decides someone has to do something about it and it might as well be him.

I have learnt over the years that God uses things to grab our attention, and some of those things grab our attention in a powerful godly way.

What does Nehemiah know about Wall Building? Seriously what?
God gets people like you to do cool stuff if you want to do cool stuff for him.
It has nothing to do with age, skill, experience...but a willing heart!

Trust the Process

I was thinking about this the other day...
Who I am now is not a random thing, an accident...
Who I am now is based on me trusting the plan that God has for my life.

I can see God taking me on a journey / a divine process to get me to be who I am today and I firmly believe that God wants to do the same for you.
Probably everything you have been through has in some way helped develop you into who you have become. And if you are trusting God with all your life, then with all your life He will lead you through the process to who He dreams you can be in Him.

Be Brave

You might have heard people say they don’t regret what they did during their lives, but actually what they didn’t do?

Don’t let fear stop you from following through on whatever you think God might want you to do right now!
Maybe you like the idea of praying for people and seeing them get healed? Do it - see what God does...
Maybe you have a dream of being a “________”?  Don’t look for all the reasons why you can’t be that person. Trust God will help you be that person.

Looking for more?

Would you like to dig into this some more? 

Here are some options for you :

Check out Craig Groeschels Book

Check out some of out teaching podcasts

Or feel free to get in contact with us here at Elim

Bless ya heaps!  

Sounds good...what does it mean?

I saw this appear on a few friends social media pages this week and I instinctively clicked 'like'.
I mean it sounds good doesn't it?
But I was also left wondering what it really means for me?
What it means for the person sharing it?
And what it could possibly mean for you reading it just now?

"Let you light shine before others..."

When I read something like this I am intrigued by the words used.
It is telling me a lot with very little.
1. That there is a light coming from my life in some way.
2. That I need to let it out.
3. That it will be seen and has been designed to be seen by others around me.

It then gets me to ask some challenging questions of myself?
- What is the light coming from my life?
- How bright is it?
- Am I happy with what it says about me?
- How would others interpret my light?
- Do I need to change anything?

It is actually not as cryptic as you might think.
Light is exactly translated from a greek word meaning light, emitting light, brightness.

Jesus goes on to say that our light is actually how we behave, what we do, our true self, our true religion. All the real us and the work done by God on our lives, coming out of us naturally and supernaturally.

God doesn't want it hidden.
If God has poured anything good into your life let it out.
- If grace, shine grace.
- If healing, shine healing.
- If forgiveness, shine forgiveness.
- If generosity, shine generosity
- If gifting in some way, shine your giftedness

Get your Jesus loving life in a public place and shine like the Jesus glow worm you should be?
Interesting that I just mentioned glow worm, they operate best in dark places...and you and I can change environments with the light of Christ coming from our lives...now matter how dark they maybe!

Maybe you could be like me today and take a moment to reflect on what my light is saying what I truly believe and who I believe I am in Christ?
I want to shine for Him in the most God honouring way possible!

Something to think about...

8 Years

Exactly 8 years a go today our journey of being Pastors of our own Church essentially began.

Armed with more enthusiasm than skill, more passion than a plan, I came to Taupo one Queens Birthday Weekend while my family was in Auckland and led my first Sunday.

I had been part of leading at a Church in Auckland with 1000's of people. Now I had the privilege of stepping out and leading one myself.

30 people turned up that day. 

I didn't care that it wasn't big compared to where I was from, I was just super excited to have God give me a go...

What have I learned?

I have learned so much and yet discovered that I have plenty more to learn.

I probably at a pinch could sum up these last few years pastoring a Church as an 'art'.

Adventure

I have always believed that following Jesus was supposed to be an adventure of sorts.
Yes it means we can have our sins forgiven and yes we can have our consciences cleared. But it was never supposed to begin and end at that moment of decision.
We are each called to a grand adventure of following Him.
It is a walk of faith not a rest in a garden.

Coming to Taupo was an adventure and it truly still is.
While I have an idea of where we are going there are many gaps that only God can orchestrate and fill.
And that to me my friends is actually truly living!

Reality

Beyond my enthusiasm there is also reality.
The reality that while on this grand adventure God has got us on, that life still happens, and not always the way I had planned for myself.

There have been endless highs and lows on this road.
I ask God all the time to invade my reality and with His presence and guidance.
The road may be rocky but it is the road God has put me on.
And I for know I couldn't do a better job than Him planning my lifes journey.

Which leads to the biggest one for me...

Trust

If I have learned anything in these last few years it is this...
Trust is the foundation of any great relationship.
To the level I trust God with my life actually dictates the level I am able to operate in it.

I can honestly say my trust has been trialled, tested and shaken all around.
And I can honestly also say that I will continue to trust in Him.
He is with me.
He is faithful.
He planned my life.
He has made me promises.
So I am left with trust. Not on my own understanding, but I on His perfect will. For me to live is Christ!

Maybe some of my journey speaks to you today?
Following Jesus is an art.
Stay the course my friend. Look for the adventure.

Something to think about...

The most 'over used' words of our faith #3

I wanted to do a little series of simple thoughts around some of what I have seen as some of the most overused words in our faith today.

What I do want to make clear is I truly believe in each of the words, the concepts they convey, 

and the life change they can bring.

My observation though is that many have become christian catch phrases on the altar of cool. 

And because they have the can lose the power they should have they for each of us.

There is a clip that gets shared around that always makes me cringe a little...
In it a preacher is going for it at his Church.
He isn't coming across very well I don't think. One minute he is telling someone they aren't worth 15 cents and in the next breath telling them how much he loves them.
"I am a big deal" he yells, like he has worked everything out and he is the expert on everything. Yuck! No wonder people get confused over the use and meaning of my next word - Love

Love is in fact pretty cool.
Being "in love" feels pretty unbelievable.
Experiencing love is one of the greatest pleasures we can have.
There is not anyone in this life who doesn't need it and deserve it.
While I am not a 'Beatle' I believe they were right when they penned the phrase "all you need is love".
I would prefer a world filled with real love than filled with most anything else you can come up with.

And I am not talking about love like in the "I love my shoes". I am talking about the true and purest form where it is giving, unselfish and amazing!

The Bible is actually filled with teaching on the topic.
Some would say that God's Word is all about His love for us.

The most common passage at weddings I hear is the 'Love Chapter' in 1 Corinthians 13.
The irony for me is that this famous passage is easily said and harder done. It is easy for many to let the "I love you" roll of the tongue and yet it not be true, which I find a little  disturbing.

Love is not a word with power.

Love's power is from action because of it.

The best examples of love are actually based on action.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His Son"
"True love covers over a multitude of sins"

The challenge I have for myself is that my life reflect love more than my need to declare verbally.
I want my verbs to match my actions.

I am so tired of saying it...I would rather display it.

Let's not prescribe to the type of weirdo love that idiots like that preacher I mentioned portray.
I think you and I can do so much better than that...

Something to think about...

The most 'over used' words of our faith #2

I wanted to do a little series of simple thoughts around some of 

what I have seen as some of the most overused words in our faith today.

What I do want to make clear is I truly believe in each of the words, the concepts they convey, 

and the life change they can bring.

My observation though is that many have become christian catch phrases on the altar of cool. 

And because they have the can lose the power they should have they for each of us.

I have been a huge fan of this word for many many years.
Inspired by stories of the past. Even where my denomination began.
I've read the books, watched the videos and prayed a few prayers.
I am a fan of Revival.

Today I see people talking about it a lot, and I mean a lot!
Apparently revival is breaking out all over the place.
At youth groups, prayer meetings and even Church services...and that gets me excited hearing that...
I mean doesn't revival mean some pretty special things?
God doing the miraculous.
Many getting saved.
Sign and wonders all over the place.
And yet many people reporting revival are talking about a great experience.
"The worship was going off - feels like revival"
"The front was filled with people dancing - looks like revival"

Now I am nervous on sharing my thoughts here because I am all to conscience that I don't know everything that God is doing.
I don't want to say God isn't doing something when He is.
I don't want to blaspheme the Holy Spirit because I think I know more than others.
And I don't want to come across as some modern day Pharisee or religious leader who think they have our faith cornered and fully understood.

When I look at what revival is and all that it implies, this is what I see :

Something happens to your heart.
I get inspired with the stories of events like the Welsh Revival. Where a group of people met together to pray for God to move.
These people didn't plan a nice 90 minute experience where everyone felt comfortable and had their needs met. They prayed and prayed and prayed. Many times all night long - WOW!
Their expectation was God could do it and revival began in their own heart. Never content to wait for someone else to make the move towards revival, they went there first.
One account I heard was one night as they prayed people walking along the roads who didn't even know Jesus were overwhelmed by His love and fall over...some into ditches.

Something happens that can't be explained.
All revivals documented so far have had similar components.
High levels of interest in God and in people meeting together as much as possible.
Mass conversions and miraculous healings.
Huge shift in morality.
A moment doesn't do that. Revival does.

Something happens that changes everything.
If people go home from a revival event the same as they came or are 'back to normal' within hours, I wonder if it truly was revival and not just a great time with God?
Every revival I have researched totally changed things. Bars emptied and people flooded to meetings. Crime dropped. Churches were planted as fast as they could mobilise. Peoples lives became all consumed with what God was doing and nothing else seemed more important.

Here I suppose is my heart in this...
I want to see a new revival happen in my life, my Church, my City and my Country.
I don't want a moment or a day of revival. I want to see God do in my generation something we can only describe as a something God did. I want the awe and wonder of seeing God move.
That is the revival I am praying and hoping for.

Something to think about...

Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Psalm 85:6 niv