134K
Downloads
1633
Episodes
Making men MEN again. The David Alliance will help you slay your giants.
Episodes
Thursday Jul 11, 2019
Thursday Jul 11, 2019
7-11-19 Thursday
TDAGiantslayer@gmail.com
Growth will still happen without proper thought or execution.
The farmer thinks before he pants…
But even if he doesn’t stuff will still grow… weeds!
What is your plan of growth each day?
I love Steven Coveys book the 7 habits. He breaks our life down into roles;
My roles?
Disciple of Christ
Husband
Father
Grandfather
Pastor
Entrepreneur
I have a growth plan for each of those every day and every week. With a long term goal at the end of the year.
What are your roles?
How will you grow in these?
You ever hear the cliche “whats not growing is dying.”
Well there is some truth to that, but we as humans are always growing. Even to the day we die our cells are still trying to regenerate. But here is the point. If you have no plan of growth, you will still grow, but in the wrong ways and with the wrong outcome.
Do you have a plan for growth in your health? If not you are growing in lethargy, laziness, muscle loss, and other health issues. You see, you are still growing but in the wrong direction.
Wednesday Jul 10, 2019
Wednesday Jul 10, 2019
7 - 10 –19 WEDNESDAY
Do you remember measuring yourself as a kid against a door to see how much you had grown? I never seemed to grow fast enough… until you look at it over the course of a few years.
What if you could still measure your growth on the back of a door… but it was your growth as a person? Hmmmm maybe you can.
part 2 to Three stages of growth.
The second stage of growth. Good growth is slow growth. Our value is in accomplishments and not the process… - but the process is what brings growth, and when it is slow it has greater value!
The truth is when we are young a child can actually grow up to an inch over night… but we can’t expect that in every area of our life.
Here is the key? slow growth stretches and builds our abilities to match our acquirement of accomplishments.
What do I mean? When I first sat down at a drum set I could play! I was rocking. I immediately got into a band and we started rocking out.
I had a new accomplishment- I could play the drums, and it felt great.
However I had acquired very little stretching and abilities.
Later in college I realized how limited I was- so I had a great friend Larry Dutmer start to teach me simple rudiments.
The flam, the paradiddle,
The ghost note
the six stroke
The drag
Guess what? These took a lot of time… it was hard… but my abilities and skill grew greatly. No one would listen to my band and say “dude” your paradiddles rock… very little sense of value was given to me by others… but inside I felt great because I knew the time it took to get better.
If you learned something fast, it probably was not that deep of a skill or it didn’t last.
I don’t have to sell you on the culture we live in- we want everything NOW. But deep meaningful growth isn’t like that.
You want to heal the sick?
Hear from God?
Prophecy?
You want to be a great preacher?
You want great Christian influence?
The truth is it takes time and there is a learning curve.
Moses was called the greatest leader in the bible (next to Jesus)
Moses was in the desert for 40 years without the children of Israel… to grow! so that he could handle the next 40 years in the desert WITH the children of Israel.
What makes an antique an antique? If I told you I make antiques… you would think I was nuts. It takes time, careful attention, protection of your piece to create great value… and that is the foundation of great growth.
Sequoia National Park in California
Some of these trees are over 2,500 years old!
It is hard to believe these trees were once saplings… you could mow over them.
These trees are over 300 feet tall
They have a girth of 80 feet (you can drive a car thru them)
But did you know they only grow 1.5 inches a year?
It's not about success. You can have instant success - It’s about growth! Are you growing and changing as an individual? Believe it or not you can have success and not grow. That is a sad and deceived person.
Tuesday Jul 09, 2019
Tuesday Jul 09, 2019
7 - 9 –19 TUESDAY
Grow grow your boat gently down the stream…
Grow for it
oh… just grow up
Grow boy
part 1 to Three stages of growth.
Growth has the potential to be unlimited. We tend to limit the abilities of ourselves when it comes to growth!
What are some of the lies we tell ourselves?
- I am not smart at math
- I can’t learn a foreign language
- Im not a people person
- Im not good at sales
What are we saying?
I can’t grow in those areas…
Look, I am not a sprinter - do not have the body for sprinting… to old to sprint, no need to sprint, I have allergies and asthma - but I can still improve my sprinting from what it is to what it could be- because I have never sprinted.
You may not have a definitive talent in an area- that is great news! It means you have a capacity to continue to learn something new.
Another lie we tell ourselves. If I am not naturally talented at something then why bother trying to learn in that field.
Why do you bench press and squat and deadlift for football?
The discipline is worth learning.
Growth is unlimited… why?
Because we have unlimited resources to learn from…
YOUTUBE?
Growth is unlimited because we have unlimited areas to learn from.
I can learn spanish, biology, stamp collecting, cake decorating…. it is endless.
Growth is unlimited because we can grow spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, socially etc…
Growth is not just mental assimilation of facts.
Growth is unlimited because we live in a time where you can connect and learn from multitudes of people around the world. You can now be mentored by frauline gertrude in flower making from germany….
What does Ephesians 5:16 say… making the most of every opportunity.
Not just spiritual opportunities, but EVERY opportunity.
And the key to that verse is that Gods spirit is in us helping us to do just that.
Finally, growth is unlimited because we serve the author and creator of all knowledge.
Monday Jul 08, 2019
Monday Jul 08, 2019
7 - 8 –19 Monday
Ever tell someone your problems and they play them off like they are no big deal…
Who does this guy think he is?
”WHO DOES THIS GUY THINK HE IS”
MT.8:23-27
23 Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. 24 Suddenly, a terrible storm came up, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went to him and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
26 And Jesus answered, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he stood up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly all was calm. 27The disciples just sat there in awe. “Who is this?” they asked themselves. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
The disciples lived with Jesus, but they underestimated him.
YMCA dance… Troy Allen…golden gloves boxer
They did not see that his power applied to their very own situation.
Jesus Spirit (the HS) has been in us for 20 centuries, and yet we, like the disciples, underestimate his power to handle crises in our lives.
*The disciples did not yet know enough about Jesus.
- We cannot make the same excuse. We have his word, his testimony and the stories of his miracles and signs and wonders.
*and we probably know of people personally who have experienced his power and miracles.
Up to this point the disciples have been with Jesus but have only seen him do miracles with healing people. OTHER PEOPLE NOT THEM!
This is the first time we see him do something as a “sign or wonder” with nature.
This would have been a fishing boat because many of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen. Josephus, an ancient historian, wrote that there were usually more than 300 fishing boats on the Sea of Galilee at one time. This boat was large enough to hold Jesus and his 12 disciples and was powered both by oars and sails. During a storm, however, the sails were taken down to keep them from ripping and to make the boat easier to control.
The Sea of Galilee is an unusual body of water. It is relatively small (13 miles long, 7 miles wide), but it is 150 feet deep, and the shoreline is 680 feet below sea level. Sudden storms can appear over the surrounding mountains with little warning, stirring the water into violent 20-foot waves.
The disciples had not foolishly set out in a storm. They had been caught without warning, and their danger was great.
You didn’t try to get caught in the storm… you didn’t do anything to deserve this… but God can still move in that situation.
Although the disciples had witnessed many miracles, they panicked in this storm. As experienced sailors, they knew its danger;
*sometimes we try to tell God just how impossible things are… and just how bad things are… wait a second, that’s satans job. God already knows it’s possible.
(what they did not know was that Christ could control the forces of nature.) We often encounter storms in our life, where we feel God can’t or won’t work.
WELL I REMEMBER WHEN BOB WENT THROUGH THIS AND HE LOST EVERYTHING
I REMEMBER WHEN LARRY WENT THROUGH THIS AND HE DIED OF CANCER
I REMEMBER WHEN JOSE WENT THROUGH THIS AND HIS WIFE LEFT HIM…
When we truly understand who God is, however, we will realize that he controls both the storms of nature and the storms of the troubled heart. Jesus’ power that calmed this storm can also help us deal with the problems we face. Jesus is willing to help if we only ask him. We should never discount his power even in terrible trials.
The disciples panicked because the storm threatened to destroy them all, and Jesus seemed unaware and unconcerned.
THIS PROBLEM WAS NOT A PROBLEM AT ALL TO JESUS.
DO YOU THINK SOMETIMES THE PROBLEMS WE SEE GOD JUST SHAKES HIS HEAD AND SAYS “REALLY… YOU THINK THAT IS A PROBLEM”?
Ye of little faith is really meant to be “after all you have seen you don’t have any faith? At least you should of anybody have faith!”
They ask Jesus to save them, yet are amazed when he actually does? Why?
Friday Jul 05, 2019
Friday Jul 05, 2019
7 - 5 –19 Friday
DOUBT
Depending
On
Understanding
Before
Trusting
Bob Proctor says that the process begins first with a thought of doubt, which
causes an emotion of fear, which manifests itself physically as anxiety. Anxiety
robs us of our power, our energy and our purpose. Severe anxiety can even
undermine our health. And it's all brought on by a thought of doubt.
Is this totally true? Yes… if the doubt turns into unbelief. But sometimes Doubt is not unbelief.
Doubting is not necessarily sinful. Doubt is a matter of the mind, while unbelief is a matter of the will. Doubt says, "I don't get it. Help me understand this. Work with me through this." But unbelief says, "I get it. I don't like it. And I refuse to accept or believe it."
G. Campbell Morgan put it this way: "Unbelief is an act of the will, while doubt is born out of a troubled mind and a broken heart.”
Doubts are good they mean you are asking questions. And questions mean you want
the truth and you want to grow.
I have found three things that help conquer doubt. First, change your mind
about the doubt, and keep it changed. If you have a doubt about whether you're
going to have enough money to make it to the end of the month, change your mind
about it. Whenever the doubt creeps in, affirm to yourself that "I always find a
way to have enough of what I need." I love what Emmet Fox says about this, "If
you will change your mind concerning anything and absolutely keep it changed,
that thing must and will change too. It is the keeping up of the change in
thought that is difficult. It calls for vigilance and determination."
But if you catch doubt now and deal with it, it won’t turn into fear.
Remember only doubt your doubts!
The second thing that overcomes fear and doubt is action. EVER HEAR… "Do the thing you fear
and fear will disappear”
WELL IT’S TRUE. But when it comes to doubt it takes on a little different tone. Doubt out loud and ask yourself what is the worst thing that could happen if your doubt came true? You might realize there are a 100 ways out of that situation… and its not as bad as you thought.
But the most important thing to overcoming doubt that turns into fear is Faith.
Fear and Faith are directly opposite views of the future and they cannot co-exist. My Faith is in a Creator who has given me dominion over all things.
Your Faith may be elsewhere, but know this: Faith and fear cannot be present at
the same time.
Thursday Jul 04, 2019
Thursday Jul 04, 2019
Investing
Hey Giant Slayers, this is Tony Bolstorff, financial planner with Mariner Wealth Advisors back with you this week talking about investing.
Where to start? Fundamental analysis? Technical analysis? Evidence Based analysis?
The place to start is your investment into a relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If you don’t have a relationship with your Creator, you are missing out on the best advice you’ll ever get!! Over 2300 passages in the Bible that speak to money, possessions and stewardship!
Is there anything wrong with becoming wealthy through investing? Certainly not! 1 Timothy 6 verse 10: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith a pierced themselves with many griefs”. Did you catch that? Money isn’t evil, but the love of money is! Big difference.
What to invest in? In this capitalistic country you have a plethora of choices, but which ever road(s) you choose be careful not to make that investment your God!! You can invest into individual company stock or bonds of varying size, location, industry, etc. You can invest into real estate. You can invest into your own business or multiple businesses. You can invest into gold, wheat, corn or other commodities. You can invest into the company you work for. The list goes on.
Regardless of the capital you invest in, a simple truth holds true if you want to make money. Buy low and sell high. If someone had the Chrystal ball of perfect timing they’d have a lot of money!
Have you ever heard of the difference between investment return and investor return? Let me repeat that again to see if you can pick up on the difference…Have you ever heard of the difference between investment return and investor return?
An investment is an object without emotion and an investor is a person with emotion!
Dalbar Inc is a well-respected research company which studies investor behavior and their returns vs. investment returns and the results are astonishing. A little outdated but not bad…for the 20 years ending 12/31/15…so from Dec. 31, 1995 to Dec. 31, 2015 (dot com, Y2K, 9/11, great recession, etc) in there, the S&P 500 Index average 9.85% per year. The average equity fund investor earned a market return of only 5.19%. That’s huge!!
Let me state it different so it sinks in a little more how much emotions get in our way of investing. If you had $100K at the start of that 20-year period and just put it in a S&P 500 Index fund without adding another dime you’d have $655K. If you had $100K at the start of that 20-year period did buying and selling based on the average investor you’d end up with $275K. That’s a difference of $380K!! Want to make it more astonishing imagine if you had $1mil at the beginning of that time period, simply add a zero to the aforementioned numbers. That’s a $3.8mil difference between the average investment vs. investor.
You may say that’s outdated data, Tony. OK, let’s look at 2018. Remember seeing your 401K decline in December last year? According to Dalbar, the average investor loss (9.42%) compared to an S&P 500 index that lost only (4.38%).
Before you go off and just invest in an S&P 500 index, look at the included attachment which tells a lot of stories starting with the fact that the S&P 500 index isn’t always the best performing asset class. In fact, it’s only been the best performing asset class a couple of times. This chart which looks like a periodic table or quilt shares the objective truth is there isn’t any trends or patterns which company, asset class, sector, etc is going to do the best or worst in a given year. So diversify your investments. Ecclesiastes 11; 2, 6 “Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.”
If someone claims they have found the crystal ball, be careful! Typically, they’ll publish a book in a year or two they got it right. I wish they’d publish a book about all they years they got it wrong. In other words, an investor, even the most educated and esteemed investor, may get it right in a year or two but they can’t consistently repeat according to research. This goes for actively managed mutual funds too. Great salespeople claiming they can beat their respective index fund but reality shows otherwise over the long haul. Proverbs 13:16 “A wise man thinks ahead; a fool doesn’t, and even brags about it!”
Last thoughts on investment I’ll leave you with are the investments during different seasons of life and who to invest with. Look at the fine print towards the bottom of your next statement. Any words such as broker/dealer? What you don’t see won’t hurt you and when a broker/dealer is involved typically there is a sales commissions, high internal expense ratios, 12-b1 advertising fees with actively managed funds. I know many advisors in the broker/dealer world and they are great people. But there is a difference between doing what’s suitable for clients vs. what’s best for clients. In the broker/dealer world suitability and the transactional nature of the business makes things gray. I would suggest looking for a fiduciary advisor who is required to put clients first before themselves even if that means losing some revenue because of given advice. Lastly, investing in each season of life is different but applying overarching rules of thumb such as match the amount of bonds in your portfolio to your age is short sighted and taking the big picture into account. Work with someone that takes everything into account such as pensions, your taxes, your estate plan, your investments, your stock options, your philanthropic plan, etc.
I hope you found this today’s segment helpful! Any questions or comments feel free to give me a call at 651-212-0832 or email: tony.bolstorff@marinerwealthadvisors.com
Wednesday Jul 03, 2019
Wednesday Jul 03, 2019
7 - 3 –19 Wednesday
Have you ever been at home with friends, totally engrossed in a major blockbuster movie… it’s oscar worthy… and when it’s over you realize most of the people left the room and you didn’t even realize it… you were that focused… and you think to yourself…how could anyone just walk out of the movie Tommy Boy?
Shout out to Randy Markey… thanks for listening.
Ever feel like giving up, throwing in the towel, just going back to the old life of living for yourself. Maybe you feel sometimes it is just not worth it… You look at others in social media and get lost in fantasy land of wanting their life…
Hold on… what do you do?
2 Cor. 4:16 That is why we never give up. (we never lose courage) Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. (For a new spiritual existence into which we have been ushered in salvation, and constantly being conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus) 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
This verse says if life seems full of problems… we don’t give up because we are being renewed daily in the spirit.
It suggests that if our spirit man is fed and on fire then our natural man can take on anything.
How do we make this practical and real life?
The verse is pretty clear… here are a few steps the Apostle Paul recommends.
-1 Giving up is not an option. So take it off the table.
You can pout, whine, cry, bleed, yell, scream, moan, laugh, mock, hurt, anguish, question and so on… but quitting is not an option.
Once you realize that- it takes off the pressure. Because it is no longer a choice.
NOW you say… but it is an option, I know plenty of people who have given up…. only because they kept it as an option. Faith says- it’s a no go on the quit! MAKE THAT YOUR MINDSET!
-2 Living victoriously according to this verse depends on your spiritual life and not your circumstances. So take time to put life back in balance.
I won’t lie… yesterday was a tough day for me. So right in the middle of the day I stopped and took some extra time to read and pray. Guess what- it helped tremendously. If I feed my outer man it may help a little, but if I feed my inner man it helps all of me- body soul and spirit.
Yes you need to take care of your whole being… but make taking care of your spiritual man the priority.
-3 Paul Goes on to say you have to keep your vision focused. You know what he is saying… you gotta keep your mind in check and on God.
Don’t focus on the negative, the problems and the doubts… those are all temporary.
There are many recorded factual stories about how the mind can control our health. Many patients go in and see a doctor and he tells them the bad news and the good news. You have a disease, but we caught it in time and you will be fine… but they die anyway because they could only focus on the fact that they had a disease.
Paul puts a twist on this…he says focus on the good that will come out of it.
so you feel like giving up - well that’s not an option, so feed the spiritual man and focus on how getting through this will make you more like Christ.
you got this!
Tuesday Jul 02, 2019
Tuesday Jul 02, 2019
7 - 2 –19 Tuesday
Harvard did a study a few years ago that predicted 3 major things for every year to come...1.there will be more changes than ever before, 2. there will be more competition than ever before, 3. there will be more opportunities than ever before. brian tracy - create your own future, p.18
And my own 4th point… most of us will not take advantage of any of these 3.
Finish strong!
Ronnie Fields
Fields had a (reported) 50-inch vertical leap. He was a 3-time Parade All American selection (1994-96) and a consensus First Team All American (Parade, USA Today, McDonald's) his senior year. He was also the first sophomore to ever play in the "Best of the Best" game at the Nike All American camp in 1993, a game that featured NBA MVP'S Allen Iverson, Kevin Garnett, and Naismith Prep Player of the Year winners Ron Mercer and Jerod Ward.
In high school he averaged 34 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 4 blocks a game.[citation needed] Fields was injured in a car accident on February 26, 1996, in which he broke his neck. He had to wear a protective halo while his neck healed. It is believed that Ronnie had a total of 372 dunks, 412 steals, 371 blocks, 350 assists and 500 rebounds in his high school career.[citation needed]He also made over 100 three point field goals in his high school carrier. He left high school as the third all-time leading scorer in Chicago Public League history with 2,619 points. His high school teammates include Garnett (95), Arizona Wildcat forward Michael Wright (98) and Willie Farley (95).
Car accident
Legal problems
Lack of discipline in life and in his game
Jared Redders – better slap shot then most NHL players, got into girls and drugs and lost it all by his senior year of high school and is no longer following Christ.
Lynnea Forseth – huge career as a super model, lost it all with guys, drugs and walking away from Christ for a better part of her life.
Maurice Edward Clarett (born October 29, 1983 in Youngstown, Ohio[1]) is a former American college football player. During his freshman year at Ohio State University, he had what is considered one of the greatest freshmen seasons in NCAA Division I-A history, and helped to lead the Buckeyes to a national championship. He is well known for unsuccessfully challenging the NFL's rule that a player must have been out of high school for three years to be eligible for the entry draft, and for his tumultuous life in and out of the courtroom afterwards. Clarett attended the same preschool as Ken Dorsey (quarterback for the Miami Hurricanes), whom he would later run into in the 2002 national championship game. Since the national championship game that made him a household name, Clarett has not played another game of football. The former tailback is currently serving prison time after accepting a plea deal amid charges of robbery, carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, and resisting arrest.
Don’t even get me started on Rap, rock and movie stars!
Chuck Templeton, Bron Clifford, and Billy Graham – all were great preachers in 1954. They packed stadiums with thousands of people. Many called them America’s savior. They were all in their early twenties.
Chuck Templeton was called the greatest and most gifted preacher of his day. Far better then Billy Graham. Only five years later he had turned his back on Christ
Bron Clifford in less then ten years had moral failure, left his wife and two kids, became an alcoholic and died of cirrhosis of the liver in a dingy stinking hotel room outside of Amarillo Texas.
I think back to my friends who were on fire for God and here are the names I came up with.
Carsten Seiler
Mike Isbell
Donny Hunt
Dan Moritz
Mitch Alexander
Kevin Penniman
David Payas
Lisa Merwin
Diane Byington
Laura Richards
Linda Redders
John ? (body builder)
Gary Schneider
Greg Schneider
Leeanne holt (Gregs wife)
Cindy Mcintosh
How many still on fire for God? Living HOT for Jesus???
One!
Oh the wasted potential.
2Ti 2:1 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2Ti 2:2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.
2Ti 2:3 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
2Ti 2:4 No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.
Soldiers – You must learn how to fight, Eph. 6 Spiritual Warfare
your fighting for something bigger then just your life – for God and for others
A soldier understands one very crucial and key foundation to his career in the armed forces… you are not fighting for yourself or to keep yourself alive…. you are fighting for your fellow soldiers and to keep them alive!
Here is the question I keep asking myself as I look back on my life and my friends… how many more people could have been led to Christ or kept hot for God if they themselves had stayed hot and on fire for God.
Make no mistake - I am not so naive to think that I am living for God all out just for me… its for my boys, my wife, my grandkids and all others I come into contact with.
entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.
ARE YOU A RELIABLE MAN… WILL YOU PASS THE TEST, STAY HOT FOR GOD AND PASS IT ON TO OTHERS?
STOP GETTING INVOLVED IN CIVILIAN AFFAIRS… Money, position, acceptance, body image, job, hobbies, peer pressure, sex or porn… The list is endless!
Please your commanding officer… what is he commanding you to do? Talk to him and do it!
Todays challenge: Realize that maximizing your potential comes down to focusing on the little detailed decisions you make each day.
Ask yourself today over each little decision… will this maximize my future in the long run?
DON’T WASTE YOUR POTENTIAL.
Monday Jul 01, 2019
Monday Jul 01, 2019
7 - 1 –19 Monday
What is the one piece of advice you give your kids or friends on a regular basis? Don’t eat the yellow snow? Never shower with your toaster oven? I have one I have shared with my boys over a 100 times… what is it? Hang on and lets find out!
Rebecca and Lonny thanks for listening!
WHAT IS THE ADVICE I GAVE MY BOYS?
We worship God because… OK HANG ON WE WILL GET THERE!
Why do you serve God? I have a sneaky suspicion that many serve God today thinking he is their super steroid to achieve the life they desire.
Let me put it this way… would you serve God if it promised you hardships, pain, disappointment and death?
Well lets look at Jesus words to his disciples…
Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
Here is the advice I have given my boys at least a 100 times… We worship God because he is worth it… PERIOD!
IS A LIFE OF FOLLOWING GOD EASY… NOT FOR A MINUTE. IS IT WORTH IT? ABSOLUTELY.
What does the word Worthy mean… When we worship God, it comes from the root word “Worth-ship”. There is worth in serving him and living or him. HE IS WORTH IT!
I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:3
Rev. 4:11 "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
Rev. 5:12 saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
I have friends who were burned by their church, pastors, other Christians… and they have slowly slid away…
Christians have walked away from God because a loved one was taken, they were wrongly accused, lost a job or lost great wealth or some other pain or injustice…
why? Because they were not worshiping God for his worthiness but for his promises… If God never answers one prayer of mine or I ever cash in on one of his promises… I will serve him because he is worth it.
We don’t know heaven… we don’t understand the afterlife or the magnificence of God… if we truly did, we would sign up in a heartbeat and serve him through anything.
It’s like my boys growing up. I would try to explain to my boys ideas that they could not quite grasp… but I asked them to trust me. We would go on family vacations…and we would tell the boys you get $25 to spend on anything you want. (we were heading to the Dells in Wisconsin) but on the way we would stop at a few gas stations and they would want to spend their money at the gas station… we would say no, hang on to it. They would get upset and mad… “you said we could spend it on anything we wanted” - yes that is true… but not until we get to our destination.
Then they would try logic and begging and whining… BUT I REALLY WANT THIS AND I PROMISE I WILL BE HAPPY WITH IT.
But I would not budge. They thought for sure I was a liar and was doing it just to be mean. No I was doing it because I have been to the Dells dozens of times… And I know they will much rather have the full $25 when they get there then a few dollars.
*And then we would get there… and we would walk down main street… so many stores, so many options…
So we get to a store and my son sees a toy he wants… it costs $20… I say are you sure you want it… YES!
I look at him and say “you can’t get it you spent your money at the gas station on licorice and a stupid plastic toy…
HE LOOKS AT ME PUZZLED AND THEN THE LIGHT GOES ON IN HIS LITTLE BRAIN…. !!!! NO I DIDN’T…. I STILL HAVE ALL MY MONEY!
I look into his eyes and say “now aren’t you glad Daddy didn’t let you spend your money on licorice and that dumb plastic truck?”
THANK YOU DAD… IM GLAD I SAVED MY MONEY…
I don’t know what heaven will be like other than it will be greater than I can ever imagine… I know I will get rewarded for my deeds here on earth… and I know it will be worth it regardless of what I have gone through.
How many Christians have deluded their walk, their beliefs and their commitment and have been tricked because they were not living for God simply because he is worth it.
Satan comes to steal kill and destroy… and bring disappointment, and delusion and regret… and if you think God did it, you will question his worthiness… is this worth it?
YES!
Casual Christians will be the first casualty when persecution starts! Nancy Paglekopf
Friday Jun 28, 2019
Friday Jun 28, 2019
6-28-19 Friday
Ever hear something that completely blows away all your preconceived ideas on a subject and you just can’t wrap your head around it… Like when I heard that lightning actually starts from the ground up…WHAT?
OR EVEN WEIRDER… taco bell is Mexican food…
Characteristics of a Disciple in scripture:
Know the bible, have large portions memorized, Keep every commandment and precept, Teachers, stewards, Long prayers, speak religiously, discern error and short comings, zealous to win men to their belief system, profess loyalty to one religion, exhibit self righteousness.
WOOPS… Thats actually the list of characteristics of the pharisees!
Here are the characteristics of the disciples:
Doubtful, argumentative, prideful, ignorant, self deceived, quitters, liars…
But Jesus loved the disciples and despised the pharisees? WHY?
The disciples followed Jesus.
They were far from perfect, but they followed him, they never quit following him. The pharisees used religion as a safety net, to make themselves look better and to “rise above everyone else”.
Look - can you sleep with your girlfriend and call yourself a Christian…??? Sure, but you are not a follower of Jesus.
Can you live a lifestyle of homosexuality and call yourself a Christian? Sure, but you are not a follower of Jesus.
Can you still live a selfish, self centered life and call yourself a Christian? Sure, but you are not a follower of Jesus.
Our Christianity in todays world is weak… Gods grace doesn’t just save us, it frees us from the power of sin. We have no excuse except we choose to live a life of religion and not relationship.
Matthew 6:33 Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.
Seek - follow after him. Seek him, go after him 100% with everything you got!
That was the first thing… what was the second thing…do you remember?
NOTHING!!!
That is the first and only thing that matters. Following Jesus with everything you have in you!
TODAYS CHALLENGE: Ask yourself what does it mean to seek God with all your heart, mind, soul, spirit and strength… and then do at least one thing in each of those areas to seek God.