Spiritual Battle

We often hear the Gospel and take it for granted. His truth has to be applied to every area of our lives. The Gospel says that you are not your own, you are freed. So walk in confidence. What are the areas in your life that you haven't died to yet? If we are saved, now what??

By Grace, through Faith, we are saved. We are saved for God's glory and Kingdom. Without a personal relationship with Jesus, you don't know Jesus. The enemy is trying to tell us that we're someone we're not, whispering lies to us. Satan is swinging hard and he's coming at our lives. It's a spiritual war and often times we don't even know that we're at battle. We've turned Christianity into consumerism and we wonder why we're getting our butts kicked in this war. We stop fighting and we shift into neutral. To put it simple: you're either stopping, or you're growing.

Ephesians 6:14-18 says "Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shelf of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints..."

The Gospel should lead to a fight and an urgency to go out and share it with others, live it with others. We are ambassadors for the community around us. Know who your enemy is and keep fighting. See the fight for what it is: a battle for spiritual space and spiritual territory. Go and push back darkness. In the Christian bubble, we create a list of what a Christian is supposed to look like. We lead with judgement. We forget we are broken. The only thing you bring to the table is your sin, which makes salvation necessary. He wipes this sin from us. Lead with who you need to know to be saved. Instead, we lead with a list of things you should be and do and not do. We should be a culture that loves people where they are. Don't hold the lost community that we do for Christians. Introduce them to our Savior. Look into this Gospel and be overwhelmed by His love. God wants more of you. He is better than our way. Our way brings death, but His way brings life. James 1:22 says "But be doers of the world, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

Surrender to His calling,
Courtney

Discipleship

What should it cost me to follow Jesus? Jesus isn't calling us to something that He Himself isn't already laying down. Our Savior is so good, because He gets us and He understands us. He isn't someone who is saying "get on my level." He humbles Himself and asks us to follow Him. He's not yelling at us from the sidelines, He's like Shaun T from Insanity doing it right along side us.

Jesus knows what temptation is like. Matthew 4:1 tells us "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil..." He empathizes and sympathizes with us because He knows us and has been where we have been. Loose your identity and put your identity in Him. That's what discipleship is.

We must follow the purpose and plan of God. It's either all Jesus or no Jesus. So, what things compete for your affections? Jesus requires us to be all in, because He is all in for us. We can't have competing affections. That's not trusting God or denying yourself. What is it that you continue to run back to that isn't Christ? Those things don't bring ultimate joy and satisfaction. They will leave you empty. If you're looking for your identity in those things, you will loose your identity. Deny yourself, take up your Cross daily. Every day, choose this identity.

Jesus is intentional in telling us what to do. We are calling ourselves to submissiveness to who Jesus is when we take up our Cross. How often do we justify the things that we do? I find myself doing this all the time. We are fully submitted to Him when we deny ourselves, when it's no longer about us. A relationship with Him is highly relational. Even if it were to cost us our whole lives, we must believe that Jesus really is the son of God. If your self worth is found in anything but Jesus, then it's sin. He is a sufficient identity to place ourselves into. Join in a relationship with Him, He died for you.

We proclaim God in our lives, speech, and actions. Die to yourself. In that you gain life. Luke 9:24 is my favorite verse, it says "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it." As we follow Him, we get to walk with the God of the Universe that desires you. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only thing we are saved by and will be saved by. There is no point in our lives when we don't need to hear that He died for us.

Follow Him. Do it all out because He did it all out for us,
Courtney

Enjoying the Single Season

With Valentines Day not too long ago, I thought Josh Storie's sermon on singleness was very fitting and worthy of a conversation via blog post. In 1 Corinthians 7:1-5 we hear Paul's opinion regarding sexual temptation. He acknowledges that sexual temptation is real and it's strong. Marriage is an outlet for this. Then in verse 8 he explains how single people should stay that way, unless they're burning with passion. Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire anyone?

But something we ask ourselves is: why? Why should we not seek out a partner? Paul tells us that he wants to spare us from the problems that married people face. He points to the idea that two people who are sinners together in one house causes conflict. You not only deal with your own sin, but also another persons sin. Paul wants to spare us from that. In verse 32 he says "But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord-how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares about the things of the world-how he may please his wife..."

The first benefit of being single that Josh described is that singles have the ability to be carefree and free of anxieties. Paul talks about how he wants this kind of life for us. During this season of our lives we can give and serve and travel and invest in people...the list goes on and on. The second benefit is that single people have the luxury of undivided interest. Single people have one focus: the Lord, but married people don't have that option. With another person, your interests become a little more divided. Being undivided in your pursuit of the Lord is such a blessing and a season of life that should be cherished, because for most people it is only temporary.

So, how do we not waste our time as single people? Give yourself away. We have the time to do it. So now is the time. Give. Invest in people. Serve in the Church until you just wear yourself out. Take risks. My friend Emily's Instagram bio puts it beautifully, "Don't let dreams, be dreams." Be open to the Spirit leading you to focus somewhere crazy.

Another striking point that Josh mentioned is to "use this season of singleness to put sin to death." Put what you're struggling with right now to death, now. Don't look for a relationship to complete you, the other person is always going to fail you in one way or another. Kick your sin habits before you enter into marriage. Desiring marriage isn't something that is sinful or wrong, God created marriage, but don't waste your season of being single. God wants to use you in ways He'll never be able to use you ever again once you are no longer single.

Now imagine if you actually did all this, how amazing the season would be...
Courtney

The Finish Line

What is the nature of this Christian race? Let's turn to Acts 9:15-16... Luke is describing Paul's call in this passage. Jesus is talking about how Paul is an instrument specifically chosen by God to go proclaim the name of Jesus to those outside of God's people and to those who have been longing for the Messiah. He also gets to go proclaim the name of Jesus to Kings. How awesome is that?! Jesus then goes on to say that there will be suffering involved and that it's going to be difficult, a road marked with pain and suffering.

There is an aspect of Paul's call that is Universal: following Jesus is never free from suffering (James 1:2 tells us that knowing the testing of our faith produces patience). We can't deny the fact that the nature of Christianity doesn't come with some kind of suffering. But quitting because of suffering is a lame excuse in my opinion. When we lay our "yes" down, we know it's going to be difficult. In other words, when we give our lives over to Christ, we know what's in store for our lives.

So, why would we want to be involved in this Christianity thing if we know that suffering is a guarenteed aspect? Well, because it's worth it. 2 Timothy 4:6-8 says, "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." Now what a beautiful promise this is to us as Christ followers! There is a crown of righteousness awaiting us. This is why we endure and why we strive to finish the race. This crown is the fullness of Christ's righteousness, bought for us on the Cross.

As a Believer you are counted as righteous. But, we still live in a sinful world and we aren't actually righteous. That's how we can love Jesus and still fall into our worst habits. We all face this, often times I find myself facing this on a daily basis. We will eventually cross that line where our sin no longer separates us from God. And what a glory filled day that will be. So again, why should we strive to finish this race called "life"? Because, Jesus is at the finish line. He clothed us in righteousness and experienced a world free from sin. How awesome will it be to look at our Savior in the face without guilt and shame? Just let that image and feeling for you specifically soak in. It will be perfect. Think of the most joy you have ever felt in your life this far, and then imagine what it will be like to stand in front of your Savior at the finish line.

This is a race worth finishing and enduring. At the finish line Jesus brings restoration and healing. Endure, Courtney

Be A Doer.

Well, it's been a while. I have no excuse for being gone for so long, but today I felt inspired to write. So here goes it...This semester I've forged a friendship with someone who has inspired me to be spontaneous and adventuresome. What a blessing this youthful and bright spirit has been in my life. Over the past five months I've trespassed too many times to count just to get the perfect photograph, driven three hours to see a mediocre waterfall, splashed paint on too many peoples faces, wandered to the walls of peace, broke in my chacos, found a library on a school bus, drove two hours to see a rock quarry in McKinney, adventured to an abandoned incinerator (twice), spontaneously drove to Austin, showed my GoPro some much needed love...there are too many adventures to name. But most of all, they taught me how to say "yes" and how to go. Just go.

James 1:22 says, "But be doers of the world, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." Now I'm sure a lot of us have heard this verse before, but after letting it marinate over the last few months I have found a deeper meaning and appreciation for this one sentence. Being a Christian should lead us to action. Do the commandments of the word of God. Don't just listen to the word, actually do.

In my opinion, this really applies to my generation. We have such easy opportunities to hear about God at Church, Ignite, YoungLife, etc. The Truth is at our fingertips, something that I have grown increasingly thankful for. This is an incomplete thing, however. These resources that are available to us are awesome, but they are incomplete and can be very deceiving. Have you ever felt distant in your relationship with God? Well this happens to me all the time. We feel distant and then we go back for a spiritual high, and then it dies down again. I can't tell you how many times this has happened to me during my walk with the Lord.

The Holy Spirit is bigger than an awesome build up in a worship song, or that high that you feel when you've been searching to feel something and you finally feel it. We need to give power to the Holy Spirit. His power and presence isn't about how loud or passionate your worship experience is. We are commanded to gather together in community, but God also wants us to be well rounded followers of Him. We should find a committed place that we stick to, even when the music isn't the best, or there aren't enough chairs.

Then we should then go out, and be doers. Walk the talk. You hear the word, so walk that out in your daily life. Be doers of the world. James 1:22 is a call to action: go and do. Sometimes we loose God's presence in our lives and we forget who we are. We get off the path, we are prone to wander, we forget our face in the mirror. But there are boundaries that steer us towards abounding life. We need to put into practice what we hear. The problem with that, it that we forget who we are, but we must remember to walk out our radical faith.

When you're feeling that distant feeling, call on Him. We can't do this life alone. Live out your faith, because you are His. Grow to not forget who we are and who we are called to be. Our lives should look radical. Confidence should lead us to be doers of the world. If your life looks like the people around you that aren't Believers, then you probably aren't a doer. We are called to do. Spend time intensely in His word, meditate on the truth that He says about who we are. We are called to be co-heirs. We are beautiful sons and daughters of the King, a royal priesthood. Learn who you are through listening to what He says you are.

Check out my friend Emily's new adventure blog here: http://50shadesofusatoday.wordpress.com

Radical action comes from a certain level of confidence. Remember who you are,
Courtney

Defined by Sin.

Ben Fuqua gave an awesome message at the Aardvark service yesterday morning talking about sin, and then Kyler Right talked about sin tonight at Ignite so I thought it was a perfect topic to discuss. Ben focused on Exodus 34, so that's where we'll start. In this chapter Moses is asking God to show Himself and reveal Himself to him. Who does God say He is? He is a God that is merciful and gracious. Mercy is not getting something that you do deserve, and Grace is getting something you don't deserve. We are shown kindness when we shouldn't be shown it.

He is slow to anger, keeping steadfast love for the billions, forgiving inequity, transgressions, and sin. Inequity is that thing in your life that you find yourself wandering towards. Transgressions are our willful sin. God lays down boundaries and we press forward anyways. Sin is us missing the mark and coming up short. He forgives all three. He is forgiving, but doesn't take it lightly. We like to minimize our sin, but that's an insult to God's Grace. It's minimizing the Cross.

Your sin affects those close to you. There is spiritual weight to keeping sin present and to yourself. We are products of sinful people. Our God is in the business of redeeming people. Moses responds to God, bowing before Him…"take us for Your inheritance." Moses humbles himself. When we encounter God, does it bring humility to us? Humility is what an encounter with Him should bring. We are called to be a constant worshiper, a living sacrifice. Die to yourself, constantly worshiping. What makes us distinct is the presence of God in our lives. Give Him everything so we can operate and live life to the fullest. The things we are drawn to, sin, are present so that we may give everything over to Him.

How often do we fixate on something that we want God to be? Maybe you think Jesus is for your happiness, not holiness. We misconceive who Jesus is. What does having a clear conception of who He is have to do with why He gave Himself at the Cross? Everything. We might be following the wrong Jesus if we don't understand that He went to the Cross for us. The sin that defined your life is no longer who you are. The weight of our sin, who we once were is no more. There is no such thing as casual sin. Do we judge others, compare ourselves to them, covet what they have? How casual is lust a part of your life? What are you chasing, what are your ambitions? Maybe it's fearing man and not God. Caring what others think about you is a way of thinking you are higher than God. There is great weight in our sin. If we don't recognize our sin, we don't understand why He had to die on the cross. He didn't have to do this for us. His love won't stop, no matter what.

While we were still in the midst of our filth, Jesus died for us so that we may enter into a relationship with Him. This is the plan of God, for you, since the beginning of time. Exchanging your filth for cleanliness in Christ. The joy that was set before Jesus was you and me, that's why He went to the Cross. Chasing us down, despite our sin because He wants us.

Good Friday is coming up this week, celebrate that our weight dies at the Cross,
Courtney

Speak Life.

Christ is a free gift. But following Him will cost you everything. Cost and obedience go hand in hand. Jesus cares for us so much and lets face it, everyone wants to be cared for. The object of your faith doesn't fail you. Jesus is what we have been waiting for. He is the caring that we desire to have in our lives. An objective truth is a truth that happens every time. Every single time. Base your faith on objective truths.

We must be persistent in following Him. "Muscle faith," much like muscle memory, will kick in when we need it. When we are faced with something challenging we'll be like "oh yeah! I know what to do. Put my faith in the Lord…" Being persistent will help us remember how awesome He is. He will give us more than we can handle because that will only make us need Him more.

He wants you. And He will wreck your life (in the most amazing way possible). TCU YoungLife leader Jace Thompson said, "authentic Christian community should be so attractive." This rings so true to me. I long to be in community with other Believers and strive to put myself in situations where that is possible. But when we aren't surrounded by people like this or even when we are, how do we reach people? We are called to be radically concerned about the needs of others and we should look to the church for a picture of Jesus and His followers. Josh Worthington spoke at Ignite's 100th service a couple weeks ago and said, "those who are most effective in reaching the many are passionate about reaching the one."

His name has incredible power. The name of Jesus Christ was powerful two thousand years ago and still has power today. How amazing is that?!  Jesus has so much power, enough power to beat death. I don't know about you but I can hardly imagine that kind of power. Believe in this power. Do you have the confidence that when you speak truth into someone, they can be saved? Do you have faith that God will give you the power to do this? Having seen Christ's grace and goodness, how do you not share His name with the people who surround you? Believe that the Gospel will work in people through you sharing it with them.

Faith calls for us to be courageous, because it requires a lot from us. Our hearts are broken and we need Him. We need a heart transplant. Tell Him this and watch what He will do in your life. He took that whip for you. You are the apple of His eye. He only can do us good and take us to places where we can know Him better. We need healing, we need to ask for forgiveness, and we need to forgive others.

There are things holding us back that we need to let go of. Do something big, take a step of faith,
Courtney