No Matter What.

Anyone without Christ is said to be a prisoner of sin. All people apart from Christ experience bondage. I don't know about you but that is scary to me. How do we live in a way that communicates God? To bring people to Christ is to rescue them from this bondage, from captivity. It is to give them the freedom that their hearts long for. Those who are demon possessed live a life of isolation and danger. When we talk about being saved, we should point to Christ. People must hear the truth. Focus on the spiritual side of things because they will effect your physical. Don't lose sight of spiritual needs. People need those needs addressed. Seek to befriend and provide good relations with people and point them back to the Cross.

At a time of great need and loss, focus on the Lord. This is declaring the righteous character of God. Trust in His plan no matter your circumstances. When experience physical pain, how do we do that well? Well, by showing that we trust in God's plan. Our attention is on His plan. Think about the one who is greater. Listen and think. I encourage quiet time with God. I know a lot of people want to do it and think or talk about doing it, but actually go and do it. You'll be amazed what He reveals to you. When we're looking and seeking for answers, talk to God. The pastor at McKinney said this prayer: "God, will you work through my suffering to show off your greatness?" We should also use this outlook in our daily mundane lives. Do not forfeit the opportunity to trust in God, once again, no matter  the circumstances. Declare your trust in Him. There are spiritual chains that bind us. What is it that God would want from me? How do I live life to get there, where He wants me to be? You may have chains that bind you but you can be free in the Lord.

The Spirit will clean up the excess in our lives. We must be people who recognize God has a plan for us no matter what. People who have experienced freedom from captivity can never get over it. Without Christ we are not alive. Trust is putting our whole being, all of us, resting on Him. God longs for us to hear and respond.

Our chains are gone as we follow Christ,
Courtney

Drifting.

We are prone to be distracted by things that aren't important. Let's face it, we are constantly distracted. But we need to realize what our priority is. Because of Jesus's authority, we must make His Gospel our great priority. Jesus is greater than everything that there is and He has brought us a message. He is the upholder of the universe. We are so small and tiny like pen dots, yet He sees us so clearly. He calls us to pay closer attention to what we have heard, because there is a chance that we will drift away from what God is telling us. 

It's not obvious for us humans. We risk our lives for stupid things (opening Snapchats while driving)…It's so invaluable. We make this trade all the time, something irrelevant for something special. Will Bostain spoke at Ignite on Monday and gave a perfect example of this from his wedding day. As his bride was walking down the isle to Phil Wickhams "You're Beautiful" and he was crying and completely overwhelmed in the moment, his phone vibrated in his back pocket. He remembered a big game was on so he pulled it out really fast to glance at the score and put it back into his pocket. Although hard to believe, we are similarly distracted from what is important in our day to day lives. 

Drifting is the immeasurable shift from Christ to something or someone else. Jesus has ultimate authority. We know His message is true but if we drift, there will be a negative outcome in our lives. How will we escape this negative outcome if we neglect the message of Salvation? Apart from Christ, we already stand condemned. It is a matter of our hearts. In Christ, you have received a great Salvation. He put Himself where you deserve to be. You can, for free, have what Christ has earned on your behalf. Now I don't know about you, but that blows my mind. The only hope we will ever have is in Him. God wants more for you than you can ever want for yourself. He wants our joy in the fullest. Someone or something will never be able to deliver this, it will never satisfy us. We give our lives away because He has already given us everything. 

But we are so distracted. Pay closer attention, surrender more of your life to God. He wants us to fight for intimacy with Him. He tells us to stay close to Him. Jesus is playing a song that is greater than our desires. We must let go of distractions and practice spiritual disciplines. Fight with your community of Believers. He adopted us into a new family who is our community. If you don't connect now, you won't. We are taught to encourage one another. One of my favorite questions I ask my friends about their acquaintances is "are you building each other up?" By ourselves we would be a wreck. We need this community to build us up. Community tells us when we are drifting. We can fight together with an eye on eternity. 

There's a reward for those who endure in the end, for pursuing the thing that is most worthy of His praise. It's just not here. No desires of this world could ever compare to the Kingdom of God. Keep your eye on eternity so that you are reminded of what you are fighting for. If not, you will be easily distracted and drift. God's fear is that we are going to miss out on His great love. And it is such a great love. Don't neglect your great Salvation. If you feel like you are drifting, you are never out of the fight. Remember that we are the bride of Christ and He is the groom. Fix your eyes on Him. Fight and run to Him. 

He loves us not because what we have done but because of what He has done,

Courtney

Encounter.

Jesus seeks imperfect people. He pursues us. We are distant from God and have our own way of doing things and He shows up with a path for us. It's so easy to ignore Him. Most Christians act like they have everything figured out, but I have almost nothing figured out. This "encounter" with God is not one to treat lightly. 

God meets us where we are broken and in rebellion and He is not okay with it. When we encounter Christ we are completely overwhelmed. We realize how big He is and how small we are. When God encounters us we are exposed. The church clothes come off and we no longer have a game face. There is no hiding from Him. We are chosen. When we encounter Christ, He uses others in our transformation and restoration. It is necessary to have impactful friends and people who surround you. A saying that I've always tried to live my life by is "surround yourself with people who you want to be like." Now, I am not always successful at this but it's a good thing to keep at the forefront of your mind when forging relationships. God has such patience for enemies, to transform them into instruments. God uses man as His method to spread the Word and we are called to do the same. 

There are people around you and me waiting for an ambassador of Christ. We are meant to be here for a distinct purpose. It is to know Him and make Him known. God seeks man to spread His Word. Sharing your faith is a process that leads to a point. He wants us to play a part, to be a part of His work. We need to engage and look for places where God could put opportunities in our lives that could lead others on the path to knowing Him. It will further our joy and help us to be more appreciative for His work in our lives. When we encounter Christ we enter a new identity and a new community. We are an adopted child of His. We are His sons and daughters. Christ came to the world to save sinners, of which I am the foremost. As Believers, we are radically transformed so that we can make Him known to people so that they are changed forever. We are overcome by Gods love. His patience is perfect. 

 I was going through my Bible and found a verse that I wrote on a scrap sheet of paper a while ago, it was 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, which I thought related well to this topic. It says "Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." 

Put yourself on display to show God off,
Courtney