Word of the week - Excellence

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Col 3:23-24

Our God is a God of Excellence at His very core.  He has created all things with Excellence (very good of its kind; eminently good; first class) because all things are created in His image.  As His children He desires for us to receive His spirit of Excellence and reproduce it.  A spirit of Excellence is really a godly attitude that is demonstrated by how we live as noted in Colossians 3:23 above.  Just like many other godly attributes such as love, joy and patience, a spirit of Excellence is a byproduct of what God is doing on the inside of us as we are discipled in Christ and allow Him to impart His nature within our soul and spirit.  If we understand who God really is, we cannot help but want to represent Him well as we engage with purpose.  Whether we are doing full time ministry, working in the marketplace, serving in the community, raising and disciplining our children or hosting a party, we should do everything as unto the Lord and thus with a Spirit of Excellence.Based on my experience in life, many people seem to believe that if you are doing something in the name of God or religion you can do it less than Excellent because it is volunteer work and fellow Christians should be nice and tolerant.  This is not true and has really distorted the view of Christ and His church.  In fact as fellow believers we should be holding each other to much higher standards; we should exhort and sharpen one another to live in Excellence.  “As iron sharpens iron so does one believer sharpen another” Proverbs 27:17.  Many non-believers are turned off by the mediocrity they see and experience from “Christians”, especially in the marketplace. This is why it is so important for us to understand that as followers of Christ we are representing God as His sons and daughters and are called to possess and demonstrate a spirit of Excellence in all that we do, so that others will see the wonders of God through us His children and be drawn to Him.  What is so cool about God is that in engaging in life with a spirit of Excellence, we end up winning favor with God and man and we are blessed beyond measure, this is abundant living, “the life that is truly life”.  Although God’s ways are not our ways they always seem to produce amazing fruit both in the spiritual and the natural, on earth and for eternity.  I guess God knows what He is doing!!!By this process, I was invited and had the opportunity to attend a conference called T-Factor this week in Nashville https://t-factor.com/#overview, which I highly recommend for business leaders who want to run godly purpose driven businesses.  Attending this event and spending time with my friend Marty Herndon, who invited and hosted me and my partner Zane with amazing Excellence, really showed me another level of Excellence, especially in the area of loving and blessing others to show the Excellent and extravagant love of God.  More to come on this next week…Have a great week and take every opportunity to live in a godly spirit of Excellence.Godspeed,-Duane

Word of the Day - Truth

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

As followers of Christ, we should be pursuers of Truth in all aspects of life.  Webster defines Truth - as most often being in accord with fact or reality, or fidelity to an original or standard.  As Christians, our faith is founded on biblical Truth, the original standard, that Jesus is the way, the truth and the light and all Truth comes from Him and through the Bible – the Living Word of God.  The truth of the matter is that we have to fully accept God at His Word to know Truth in order to receive the full benefits of our faith.  We cannot believe some of what God says, we have to believe and receive all of Him and His Word and Truth.  As human beings this can be very hard for us because much of the Truth does not make sense or resonate with us, we simply don’t understand.   If you step back for a second and realize that God is God, the Creator of heaven and earth and we are simply people, His creatures that He made in His image for His purpose; it does not take long to realize that we may not understand many things of God because His ways are not our ways and His ways are higher and not fully comprehensible to us.Our foundational world view should be grounded in the Truth of the Word of God.  But we should not stop there in our desire to seek and know the truth.  In day to day living we have the opportunity to seek the truth or allow our culture and circumstance to paint a facade of what is real and true.  There are so many different forces coming at us each day that must be deciphered to stay grounded in the Truth.  We should be vigilant in our pursuit to know the Truth of the matter as we guard our hearts and minds from the lies of the world, which are so prevalent in our culture, media and day to day living. Richard Simmons in his book “Wisdom – Life’s Great Treasure”, emphasizes that an essential component of wisdom is our ability to see things as they really are and not as they appear to be.  Wisdom enables us to distinguish between those ideas in life that are true and those that are not true.  I would add to this that godly wisdom, which is developed through our knowing God’s word, gives us the ability to see things for what they really are.  In fact the case is made in Richard’s book that knowing and living in the Truth is “Key to a Healthy Life” in regards to our mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being and being healthy is very much correlated to our happiness and fulfillment in life.  Scott Peck, a well-known author who wrote the book “The Road Less Traveled , says that a key to being healthy in life is “being dedicated to the Truth”.  In fact he and many experts in the field of mental disorders correlate mental illness to our ability as humans to deal with truth and reality.  Essentially, mental illness is our inability to deal with reality and the truth so we create our own anti-truth that creates havoc and disorder in our lives.  Seeking, knowing and understanding truth allows us to live in harmony with reality and leads to health and wellbeing.If you believe that God’s Word is absolute Truth then you will know and experience the power and freedom in seeking, discovering and knowing the Truth.  God’s Word makes it clear that we live in a fallen world and have any enemy of our souls who is literally out to destroy us through perverting the Truth through lies.  The Devil is the father of lies and deception – anti-Truth.  “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires.  He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies”  John 8:44  Our enemy desires to destroy us by keeping us in the dark and away from the Truth.  God came to bring Truth and light so we can overcome our adversary and be set free to live in the fullness of Christ and do what God has called us to do.  “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such thing”. Philippians 4:8So let’s seek the truth and speak the truth so we can know the truth and live in freedom and health?  This is “Life that is truly Life”.Have a great week!!!-Duane

Word of the Week - Generous Living

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 6-8

We serve a God of abundance who has a spirit of generosity towards us and all creation.  “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son Jesus” John 3:16.  Understanding the heart of God towards us should compel us towards a life of generous living to include our time, talent and treasure.   Pastor Larry Stockstill outlined the blessings of Generous Living and Sacrificial Giving in his one year bible daily devotion yesterday https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/bible/9/7  as follows: 1) God will measure back to you the same measuring device you use when giving to Him, 2) God is looking for a heart attitude that is free, spontaneous, and cheerful in giving.  3) God has the power and authority to resupply your resources to such a point that you will always have enough to give to any worthy cause He leads you to support, 4) God will remember for eternity what you invest into His kingdom, 5) If you have a sower’s heart and are faithful, God will give you more and more seed to sow, and 6) God will allow you to prosper financially so you can become a resource for building His kingdom during your time on earth.I know this seems counter intuitive but I can assure you that it is truth.  I have personally experienced this over the past 18 years since my heart was transformed in Christ and I started down the path of generous living. Even during challenging economic times like 2008-2010 when things were very tight and uncertain, we continued to sow and the Lord blessed us.  I truly believe that like all things of the Lord these principals and spiritual truths are related to our heart condition, and is simply the outpouring of God’s fruit and favor on His sons and daughters who love Him as their Abba Father and understand the depth of His love and goodness towards us.  This is not transactional in nature, it is extremely relational and based on knowing the love of God.  A heart of generosity is a natural response to understanding the love of God.  Generous giving is just another way to worship and express our love for God, it just happens to be an extremely fun and exciting.  Think about it this way, if you earthy father was mayor of Birmingham and he gave you a million dollars and instructed you to go give it away to people and organizations who’s goal was to add value too and build Birmingham; He just simply asked that you acknowledge him in the process of giving and you knew that every time you gave the funds you were honoring and blessing your dad by giving away what he gave you.  That sounds like a blast to me.  Well, this is the heart of God when it comes to generosity and this is our opportunity.Finally, and most exciting, when we sow generously in the name of Jesus, God uses our giving to bless others allowing us to be a witness for the Gospel of Christ.“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.  Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your stores of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.  You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.  This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.  Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.  And their prayers for you, their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace of God has given you.  Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!.” 2 Corinthians 9-15By the way, we are blessed beyond measure through by being generous because everyone loves a generous giver.  So let’s step out in faith and sow generously in all seasons of life and experience the joy and blessing of generous living in the name of Jesus.Have a great week.-Duane

Word of the Week - Praise

Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name.  Psalm 103:1

Praise is an amazing spiritual offensive weapon in our journey of faith that is the secret to possessing the joy of the Lord.  Throughout the bible God makes it clear that He desires to be praised by us His sons and daughters and that His praise draws Him close to us “He inhabits the praises of His people” Psalm 22:3  We have so much to praise God for.  He is all powerful and worthy to be praised as our Creator, Savior and King.  Praise is the active posture of expressing our love and gratitude for God and what He has done for us.  Most of us engage in praise and worship at church, and this can be a powerful experience, but this is only one aspect of praise.  We have the opportunity to praise the Lord daily and receive the benefits of praising His holy name.  A few aspects of Praise to keep in mind: 1) Praise focuses on God and not ourselves, 2) Praise reminds us of the eternal not the temporal and 3) Praise is outward not inward.The original Hebrew definition of the word praise is much more descriptive with 7 aspects that are very expressive and excitable to include:  1) Halel – to rave, boast, celebrate, to be clamorously foolish, 2) Yadah – to acknowledge in public, 3) Barak – to bless by kneeling or bowing, 4) Zamar – making music to God with strings, 5) Shabach – to address in a loud tone, to shout, 6) Towdah – to lift hands in adoration, and 7) Tehilah – exuberant singing.  As we understand the true definition of praise we begin to see the heart of praise and how it pleases the Lord for us to get really excited about what He has done and in doing so we encourage one another and find the Joy of the Lord, which makes us strong and sustains us in our lifelong journey of faith.Sometimes it is really a sacrifice to offer praise, especially when we are struggling and don’t feel like it.  This is our biggest opportunity, when we make the decision to fix our eyes on Him and give Him praise.  No matter what we are facing, we realize that God is bigger than the issues or challenges we are facing.  It doesn’t matter if were alone, with a few, or in a big group.  It doesn’t matter if we feel like it or not, what matters is that our hearts are in tune with our Creator and King.  The following is what happens when we choose to praise the Lord:  1) Praise gets our focus off of ourselves and back on God, 2) Praise humbles us and gives us perspective, we are reminded who God is and who we are, 3) Praise makes the enemy flee and brings spiritual victory and protection, 4) Praise invites God’s presence and makes room for His blessing, and 5) Praises refreshes our soul and invites God’s power to be displayed and allow room for miracles.  “From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, the Lord’s name is to be praised” Psalm 113:3So praise the Lord with all of your heart because He is worthy of the praise of His people and we are blessed and joy filled as we praise the Lord!!!!Hope you are having a great Labor Day Holiday.Blessings,-Duane

Word of the Week - Holiness = Healthy Living - Part II

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and Holiness” Ephesians 4:22-24

Last week’s word of the week was “Holiness – Healthy Living” (see below), and emphasized the fact that as believers we are all called to live godly and Holy lives so we can have the best that God has for us and be healthy and flourish in life.  Living Holy and pure lives is God’s best for us and is available for all followers of Christ not just clergy or full time ministers.  Being Holy is a pursuit and condition of the heart that leads to a new attitude of mind and thus a new person in Christ.So how do we live Holy lives?  Just like most things in life, it takes both offense and defense to be Holy:Offense - Abide in Christ Jesus through the daily disciplines of our faith  - Holiness is the fruit of knowing God and desiring to stay connected to the vine of Christ so we can bear much fruit.  We are Holy as a byproduct of being born of the spirit of God.  We don’t become Holy to get God to love us, but we live Holy lives because we know the love of the Father.  This is our response to the love of God and our desire to remain in Him and grow closer to the Lord. We are all human and thus by nature we are selfish and sinful, and we live in a sin filled fallen world.  With this reality in mind, we must recognize that without an offensive plan for day to day living the law of entropy will kick in and we will gravitate back to our sinful nature of the old self.  Thus the Lord Jesus instructs us throughout scripture to pursue Holiness by pursuing Himself.  This includes “putting on” the Armor of God each day to give us protection, and pursuing intimate relationship and connection with the Lord through Abiding in Him “You are the vine and I am the branches, if you Abide in me then I will Abide in you, and you will bear much fruit, but apart from me you can do nothing”. John 15:5  We must remain in Christ to remain Holy.  We remain in Christ by making Him the priority of our lives each day.  Literally making the Lord the first priority each morning and being determined and vigilant to make everything else in our lives second to Christ and our connection with Him.  I personally have multiple disciplines in my life that make connecting with the Lord each day my first and highest priority.  This includes 1) daily conversations and confessions with the Lord through prayer, 2) reading God’s Word so we can know Him more and have the power of the Word living within us, 3) Praising and worshipping the Lord through song and thanksgiving, and 4) fellowshipping with other believers and ministering the love of Christ to all of those around us who are in need.  The good news is that as we get into these proactive disciplines of faith they become part of our rhythmic nature and identity in Christ.Defense - Being comfortable being different  – The Bible reminds us again and again that there should be a definite line drawn between us and the world (secular culture).  That means our thoughts, actions, words, and behaviors should be noticeably different – we should look more like Jesus than the world.  “As the One who called you is Holy, you yourselves also be Holy in all your conduct and manner of living” 1 Peter 1:15  Being a Christian is not just about going to church and acting nice on Sunday then just living like everyone else the rest of the week.  Much of who we are is about what we feed ourselves day to day.  If we spend our time and fill our minds and souls with things of this world like secular TV, music, philosophy, and hang out with non-believers – we become equally yoked with the world and we become what we are around and what we are feeding ourselves.  Ungodly intake, especially in large and consistent doses, will contaminate our inner man.  We should be feeding ourselves the things that edify & strengthen us, and align our spirit with God’s spirit to include relationships with other believers and media that is pure and life giving.  This will not always be easy and popular but it will lead to life and health.Defense #2 - Setting wise boundaries and fleeing from temptations  – As human beings we all have fleshly desires but God has equipped us to resist temptation.  “When you are tempted, God will provide a way out” 1 Corinthians 10:13.  It is our responsibility to keep ourselves pure, but we need God’s wisdom along with others to help us.  We need to put things in place in our lives to keep us from getting into tempting situations that may cause us to compromise and fall into sin.  For instance if we know we have issues with lust or sexual sin, we should not put ourselves in situations to be tempted.  It is not smart to be alone with the opposite sex or allow our eyes to look at anything that would feed the temptation.  Putting healthy boundaries in our lives and having brothers/sisters that know our deepest temptations and can help hold us accountable is key to staying pure and Holy.  To live a Holy life, you have to flee form temptation.  Don’t entertain it, don’t consider it, don’t have lunch with it.  Don’t think twice about it.  Flee!!!!  In other words - run Forest run!!!!!  This is both physically and mentally.“How can a young man keep his way pure?  By guarding it according to your Word.”  Psalm 119: 9I hope this is helpful to your pursuit of Holiness!!!Thanks,-Duane

Word of the Week - Holiness = Healthy Living

“Create in me a pure heart O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” Psalm 51:10

Holiness seems to be a term of old and perceived as less relevant in the current age.  Like many things of faith in today's culture, I think this is due to a misperception of what it really means to be Holy and pursue Holiness.  I grew up in a more traditional liturgical church and therefore equated Holiness to being pious and religious.  I had the view of Holy people being priest and clergy who were sterile and irrelevant to the real world.  I thought to be Holy you literally had to live away from the world to be “set apart”.  Like many things of our faith, what God has gifted us for virtue and health the enemy has twisted and perverted through humans and our sin nature.The Truth is that Holiness and the pursuit of Holiness in Christ is not about the external persona, but about what is going on inside our hearts.  Like all things of God, it is an internal working of transformation within our hearts that creates our desire to live pure lives so we can remain close to God in fellowship through the Holy Spirit.  Holiness is really very simple and practical, it is the practice of living pure and virtuous lives so we are healthy and free before God and man.  By feeding our minds, heart, souls and spirit good things of virtue we are able to walk in the abundant life of joy and peace that the Lord Jesus tells us about.  “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full” John 10:10 This is not about salvation, we cannot earn our salvation by becoming Holy and righteous; salvation is a gift from God for sinners.  Holiness is a pursuit of believers to become more Christ like in our day to day living so that we can be healthy and function well.  When we are born anew of the spirit of God, we are led to new way of living where we replace our old habits with new disciplines because we have a new identity in Christ.  “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone and the new is here”  2 Corinthians 5:17.  This is accomplished by staying connected to the vine of Christ through the daily disciplines of nurturing our relationship with God.  We train our spirit and soul by practicing the presence of God in prayer, staying in God’s word, fellowshipping with other believers and keeping a pure heart by pursuing virtue vs. vice.  Over time this leads to us flourishing in life and being a light shining in the midst of a dark world, and a true witness of the power of Christ living within us. “so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world” Philippians 2:15.  Not to mention it makes life much more enjoyable, healthy and productive.Holiness is not perfection or legalism.  It is not about rules and regulations or trying to control or manipulate people to conform to certain rules or religious practices.  It is not about being separated from people so you become irrelevant and unapproachable because you are “Holier than though”.  God’s deepest desire for us, similar to our deepest desire for our kids, is to be connected to Him and others in personal relationship in order that we might live out our lives in fullness to the purpose He has for each one of us.  Pursuing Holiness is simply a way of living and being that makes us more godly and allows us to live to our full potential in Christ.  It is very practical and applicable to our day to day living.  The following is a link to 25 minute podcast that really helps us understand Holiness and why it is so important to our walk as followers of Christ.https://podcast.app/richard-foster-a-well-functioning-life-streams-holiness-e67813359/?utm_source=ios&utm_medium=shareNext week I plan to share more about what it looks like to pursue Holiness in our day to day living.I pray you have a blessed and Holy week.-Duane

Word of the Week - Courage

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid or fearful, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 2 Tim 1:7

Courage is the internal strength to resist or overcome opposition, danger, hardship or uncertainty.  The counter to Courage is succumbing to fear and being cowardice.  If we are honest, I think we would agree that we all deal with some degree of fear and insecurity in our lives to include fear of failure, fear of man, fear of death, fear of the unknown etc.  So what gives us the strength to overcome fear and be Courageous?  I believe that the most healthy way to overcome fear is through faith and trust in God.  If we know God, trust in Him and walk by faith, we will grow in our purpose and security in Christ, and the bi-product of this is strength and Courage.  God tells us to “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6  If God has our back what do we have to fear.  In my walk of faith over the past 18 years I have found that the most joyful and fulfilling times of my life are when I am stepping out in faith and facing my fears head on with Courage, boldness and transparency.  Be Courageous in Christ and step out in faith.  “If God is for us then who can be against us” Romans 8:31Have a great week walking in God’s power and love with self-discipline….-Duane

Word of the Week - Humility

“God resists the proud, but shows favor to the humble.” James 4:6

It is very clear throughout scripture that God favors the Humble and detests those who are proud.  This is very different from our modern day narcissistic culture of self-focus, self-reliance and self-promotion.  With the proliferation of social media, we have generations that are being trained and conditioned to drive and feed their ego through virtual reality with pictures and post to say to the world “look at me and how great and important I am”.  With all of the noise in our culture, Humility can be hard to pinpoint and self-evaluate.  Most people today don’t value Humility because they are mesmerized by the lie of our humanistic culture and don’t really understand what true godly Humility looks like.The world associates Humility with weakness and self-depracation.  So what does it look like to live in godly Humility?  If we look at some of the most relevant examples of Humility in the bible such as Jesus and Moses, we clearly understand that Humility is more about how we see ourselves in relationship to God and to others.  To be Humble is to gratefully recognize our dependence on the Lord – to understand that we have constant need for His support and presence. It is also understanding that our talents, abilities and blessings are gifts from God.  It is realizing that we all need others in our lives and much of our success in life is because of others, not of our own strength.  A person of true Humility readily expresses appreciation for the gifts of God and others.  He or she gives credit where it is due.  Truly humble people are others-focused and genuinely interested in others.  Being Humble is not a sign of weakness, timidity, or fear; it is really an indication that we are secure in Christ and know where our true strength and identity lies.  True Humility gives us the ability to be fearless and courageous as we deal with challenging people and circumstances.  Jesus was the greatest example of Humility.  During His time on earth, He always acknowledged that His strength came from His dependence on His Father.  “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgement is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me” John 5:30.  The Lord will strengthen us as we Humble ourselves before Him by acknowledging who He is and how much we are dependent upon Him.  “Humble yourself in the site of the Lord, and He shall lift you up” James 4:10My friend David Harper who wrote the book titled “The Great 8” a new paradigm for leadership advocates that leaders who lead with Humility over Ego build cultures of collaboration vs. fear and this results in much more healthy, flourishing and sustainable organizations.  In one of the best-selling business books of all time “Good to Great”, Jim Collins discovered this was one of the key driving factors to some of the greatest  companies in the world – Level 5 leadership defined as leaders who led with Humility by giving their teams credit for the success and taking personal responsibility when things did not go as expected.God’s ways are not our natural ways but they sure do work!  So let’s Humble ourselves and see the Lord’s favor work in our lives.Have a great week!!!!-Duane

Word of the Week - Community

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching” Hebrews 10:24-25

What is community?  The definition is simply to have common unity with others.  For people to come together under common values and beliefs to live in fullness.  God created us for relationship, first and foremost with Himself and secondly and as important with each other.  It is impossible to live to our full potential without being in Community with others.   ^“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Romans 12: 4-5  As a body of Christ we do life with others in healthy interdependent relationship that allow the body of Christ to function in fullness.Community is Healthy and Life Giving – Life Giving Community should lift us up and bring out the best in us as we help bring out the best in others by using our God given gifts to love, relate and serve others.  I love the quote from John Maxwell that says “show me your friends and I will show you your future”.  The bottom line is that we become who we commune with; life begets life and but bad company corrupts good character.  It is very important that we develop Community with people who are like minded and share our core values, especially as it relates to our faith.  We need to pursue Community with godly people who desire to grow and live to their full God given potential.  People who are authentic and speak the truth in love.  Friends that will challenge us and love us enough to admonish us and call us out if we are headed down the wrong path.  Friends that we enjoy spending time with and have our best interest at heart and visa-versa.  Friends that will be there for us in the good times and especially through the storms and challenges of life.Community is Covering and Protection  – Part of the reality of life is that we will all face trials and adversities in life.  “In this life you will have trouble.  But take heart, I have overcome the world”  John 16:33.  One of the keys to going through tough times and persevering through the trials is to have a strong Community support system around us to provide encouragement and protection as we endure the trials of life.  We were not created to do life alone and we all need help and encouragement to navigate the challenges of life.  We can comfort one another with words, physical presence and prayer.  “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” Galatians 6:2.  We can encourage each other in the process and always point to the hope of the Lord and his promises, helping each other keep an eternal perspective.  We often are inclined to give up too early but with good Community of believers “band of brothers” we can be encouraged to hang in there through the pain to get to the other  side so we can experience God’s best for us.  “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all”.  1 Thessalonians 5:14Man was made for relationship and Community and was not made to do life alone in isolation.  The abundant life that God promises is one of Community with others.  I have truly found that the most joyous experiences in life come through being connected to others through Christ.  It can be hard for some of us to commit to Community, especially if we’re guarded due to past wounds or simply more introverted and prefer solitude.  Community is God’s desire and design for us and a sign of mature faith.  At the end of the day, when we grow in our relationship with other through authentic and vulnerable Community with others, we are growing in our relationship with God.  We really are better together!!!!If you are not connected with a small group of friends that know you and what you are going through then I encourage you to pursue this type of Community.  Church small groups are one way to find this type of Community, the following is a link to a directory of small groups that are starting this fall https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/groups . Remember that we all desire to be connected in good healthy Community and we have as much to offer as we have to receive.Have a great week,-Duane

Word of the Week - Light

This is a word I received from my good friend Jesse May that I wanted to pass along.  Have a great week and let the light of Christ shine through!!!!

Matthew 5:16 "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Thought for the Week: "Imagine walking into a pitch-black room. What would you do? Pray against the darkness? Curse it with some well-chosen declarations? Vainly search for some sort of anti-dark weapon? Or would you simply reach for the light switch and turn it on?Spiritually, we’re called to oppose the kingdom of darkness, and we’re told to stand firm, put on our armor, and wield the weapons of truth. But we also have to remember that we’re citizens of the kingdom of light. So how does a citizen of light oppose the darkness? We shine. In the natural and the spiritual, light overcomes darkness every single time.If you want to be like God, you’ll oppose the kingdom of darkness relentlessly. But the primary way you’ll oppose it is to shine brilliantly. By nature, you overcome when you show up and be who you truly are. Yes, speak truth and refuse to be deceived. Don’t be ignorant of spiritual assaults against your calling. But most of all, turn on the light you’ve been given and let it burn brightly. No darkness can withstand the light of God; and the light of God is burning within you. (Chris Tiegreen)-Duane

Word of the Week - Serve

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for many” Mark 10:45

It is much more blessed to give than to receive and to serve rather than be served.  This is really the essence of the Gospel that Jesus “Gave His all for us” to model what it looks like to be a follower of Christ.  As believers, we exist to serve others by showing God’s love in practical ways through meeting the needs within our communities, families and spheres of influence.  Simple acts of personal kindness can open hearts to the love of Jesus for both those being served and those serving.  The following are a few biblical principles of fostering a hear to Service.Service over Status – This is counter to our culture and the way of our world.  Our culture idolizes the rich, the powerful, the beautiful, and the athletic.  We make celebrities out of those who brazenly flaunt their immorality in reality TV shows.  The world claims it demeaning to lower our selves to serve others.  However, God’s Kingdom completely rejects the world’s measure for esteem, giving the greatest honor to the one who serves most.  The person who serves selflessly, lovingly, without complaint, and without seeking recognition is highly regarded in the Kingdom of God.   Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Philippians 2:3-4 Character over Convenience – There is no doubt that the Lord is more interested in building our character and faith than He is in making us happy and comfortable.  The bottom line is that if we desire to grow to our full potential in Christ through service it will require sacrifice.  “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us”.  Romans 5:3-5We over Me – One of the most amazing blessings of the Christian life is fellowship among the believers is the fat that we are better together.  God set up the Church for synergy through the body of believers.  We are all part of the body and have a specific gift and role to play in God’s plan.  God’s Kingdom will not advance to its fullest without us all serving together as a body.  “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.  For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body – whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free – and we were all given one spirt to drink.  Even so the body is not made of one part but of many”. 1 Cor 12:12-14Serving others is Worship -  We win the Lord’s heart by loving Him through worship.  Serving others in the name if Jesus is one of the highest forms of worship to the Lord Jesus.  It is a way to tangibly love the Lord.  Especially when we serve the needy and less fortunate who could never repay us.  So serve others with all of your heart and do it with no strings attached in the name of Jesus and for this you will be blessed both now and for eternity.  “The King will reply.  “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did unto me”.  Matthew 25:40Let’s look for opportunities this week to Serve others in the name of Jesus.Have a great week,-Duane

Word of the Week - Freedom

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17 

Coming off of the July 4^th celebration of our nation’s Independence/Freedom, I think it presents a great opportunity to reflect on the true blessings and responsibilities of Freedom.  In a practical sense, we are truly blessed to live in a country that values Freedom and Independence for its citizens.  The United States of America was founded by men of faith on the premise that we must value and protect individual rights and hold these things sacred as outlined in the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”.  It is easy to take this for granted because we are so accustomed to this reality that we really cannot relate with not having these Freedoms and individual rights.  Besides bar-b-que, fireworks and time on the water with family and friends, the purpose of the July 4^th Holiday is to set aside a day to recognize the high price that has been paid over the past 200 plus years to gain and defend this amazing gift of Freedom and to never take it lightly or for granted.  To remember the cost of Freedom and the blood and sacrifice that was poured out to attain our Freedom as a nation.As American citizens and believers (citizens of the Kingdom of God), I think it is most important that we take on the mantle and responsibility that comes with the gift of Freedom.  Ronald Reagan said “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”  It is our responsibility as Americans to value, protect and steward our Freedom.  Similarly, but more importantly, Christ Jesus was crucified, died and rose again so that we could overcome death and have the ultimate Freedom that comes with salvation through Christ.  His blood gives us the power to find true Freedom from the wrath of God and the sin and strife of this world.  “It is for Freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1.  It is interesting that the Freedom of Christ is received not through a spirit of independence but by a spirit of dependence whereby we live our lives depending on God through an abiding relationship that He describes in John 15:5.  By living connected to the vine of Christ He blesses us with Freedom so that we can do His good work and produce godly fruit in our lives for His glory and purpose.  “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”  Galatians 5:13Lord we thank you for our many Freedoms to include 1) Freedom of religion and individual belief, 2) Freedom to worship, 3) Freedom of prayer and 4) Freedom of speech to name just a few.  We are grateful that we live in a nation that that values Freedom and want to remember and honor all of those who have sacrificed and died to make this a reality for us by exercising our Freedoms in a healthy manner.  Lord, most of all, we thank you for the fact that while we were still sinners you died for us so that we can be Free from the wages of sin and live with you in Eternal Freedom.God Bless you and God Bless America, the land of the Free,-Duane

Word of the Week - Put God First

“But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33 

The following is a short video of Denzel Washington giving a commencement address.  Click on the link below to watch.  I believe these are words of wisdom for all of us to remember and put into practice each day as we seek to “Put God First”.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxY_eJLBflkThe first commandment of the 10 commandments is “You shall have no other gods before me” Exodus 20:3.  I think this is pretty important to the Lord and He has our best interest at heart.Have a blessed week celebrating our nations Independence on July 4th.  We have much to be grateful for as Americans.God Bless America…..-Duane

Word of the Week - Thoughts

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.  Romans 12:2

Our thoughts are the leading indicator of our future and who we will become!  More than anything else, our Thoughts define our lives, our purpose and our well-being.  Thinking also affects all of our body systems.  There is mounting scientific evidence demonstrating the intimate relationship between the brain and the rest of the nervous system to include our immune system and that 75-85% of physical illness are a direct result of our Thought life.  Dr. Herbert Benson MD, the president of Harvard Medical School Mind-Body Institute says “Toxic Thinking leads to stress, which affects our body’s natural healing capacities.  Toxic thinking literally wears down the brain and the rest of the body”.  I am convinced that the pattern of Thinking in our culture/world is mostly toxic and thus not healthy, so if we just go with the flow of our culture it will lead to death.  “There is a way (thought pattern) that seems right to a man/woman but in the end leads to death” Proverbs 16:25.  No matter how godly and pure our walk, we all have an enemy of our soul who wants to destroy us and our relationships and he is working overtime to get in our heads.  He does this by planting negative Thoughts and lies in our minds through all types of circumstances.  We cannot allow these thoughts to land and resonate with us because if we do then they lead to strongholds that are much harder to overcome.The good news is that God has equipped each of us with minds that can be renewed and transformed in Christ.  Literally, scientist have proven that the neural pathways in our brains can be reprogrammed through the process of new habits and new thinking, which creates new pathways.  The key is that we understand this and take a proactive approach to our Thought life and have both a defensive and offensive strategy to combat this reality.  Here are some practical ways we can keep our Thoughts godly and pure and keep a healthy mind of Christ.

1. Feed your mind a daily diet of Truth through God’s Word.  “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.  “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way of sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.  That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers.”  Psalm 1: 1-3
2. Put on the “Armor of God” each day.   ^“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For 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. ¹³ Therefore 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. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ And 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 Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:10-18
3. Take thoughts Captive and make them obedient to Christ.   ^“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ⁴ The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

To remain healthy and live to our full potential in Christ we must realize that our Thinking is most important and we have to continue to renew our minds in Christ so we realize God’s good, pleasing and perfect plan for our lives.  This can only be done by each of us taking responsibility for our own Thoughts so we have godly thinking that leads to peace and life opposed to stinking thinking that leads to death and dis-order.I pray you have a week filled with good thoughts that lead to life.-Duane

Word of the Week - Father

“And I will be a Father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty.  2 Corinthians 6:18

How powerful is the role of a Father?  Research confirms that a good Father/child relationship is key in the healthy development of children and young adults.  Even more sobering is the fact that the Father relationship has the power to shape our view of God and ourselves at the deepest level.  A Father has many critical roles in a child’s life to include provider, protector, teacher, modeler, encourager, exemplar and much, much more. These are all very important roles to meet the very real needs of a child, growing adolescent and young adult.  As important as all these characteristics are to the development of a child, what matters most is that the child experience and know the unconditional love of the Father.  Love is the trump card, because “love overcomes a multitude of sins” 1 Peter 4:8.  I am blessed with a wonderful dad who demonstrated the characteristics noted above throughout my childhood and life, but like all of us he was not perfect and did some things that wounded me along the way.  That being said, I never ever doubted his deep and unconditional love for me. This reality along with Jesus’ healing hand has been the catalyst for healing in our relationship and most importantly receiving and knowing the love of God the Father.  Now as a Father of 3 wonderful daughters and 4 awesome Grandkids (it is true that Grandkids are a true blessing from God, this is the best ever😊), I have the amazing responsibility and privilege to be a Father to my children and grandchildren and I can say it is the most meaningful, joyful and fulfilling role of my life.  Just like my dad, I am doing my very best but I surely have made many mistakes along the way and unintentionally hurt my children.  That being said, I am so grateful to God our Father in Heaven who gives us the perfect example of how to be a loving Father, our Abba Father.  “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast (unconditional) love” Psalm 103:8.  With this love and example from God our Father through His son Jesus along with great examples from our parents and others, we are equipped to be godly Fathers who sow blessings and life into our kids for many generations to come as stated in Psalm 127:3 “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him.”I am beginning my journey home today from Rwanda, Africa where I had the opportunity to spend the past week with my youngest daughter Isabella along with a friend of mind Ronald Fremin and his daughter Anna Katherine.  We had an amazing time visiting this beautiful country in East Africa (see a few pics attached).  We spent time encouraging, mentoring and celebrating with the young leaders in the country though our involvement in Bridge2Rwanda https://www.bridge2rwanda.org/ , and we also had the awesome privilege to spend time serving some of the poorest kids in Rwanda through Acts4Rwanda https://acts4rwanda.org/, and friends of Tom Allan at the community library pre-school in Sunzu Village.  Once again, God showed up in an amazing way and blessed me and Isabella beyond measure as we grew closer to God, the children and leaders of Rwanda, our friends and each other.  I also continued to learn and grow as a Father and Grandfather.  What a joy and blessing it is for me to share in this experiences with my daughter and see her stretch and grow as a young woman of God, it was truly awesome.  Our time in Rwanda has blessed me and my family immensely and I would highly recommend taking a mission trip with your kids somewhere in the world that is 3^rd world, there are lots of options.  If you have any interest in making a trip to Rwanda or Haiti, I have plenty of connections and can help you.  Experiences like this are really powerful for any dad who wants to grow closer to God his son or daughter and become a better Father.  “And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers” Malachi 4:6.Finally, no matter what your situation and relationship or lack thereof with your earthly Father, God is our eternal Father and He loves you and deeply desires to redeem and restore you to wholeness through the power of His unconditional and everlasting love.  This is available for all His children (us), through the Lord Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.  Our Abba Father God is a Good, Good, Father…..He will gladly leave the 99 to find the one lost sheep, that is how much He loves us….Happy Father’s Day…..[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id="5" gal_title="Fathers Day 2019"]-Duane

Word of the Week - Carnally Minded

For to be Carnally Minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  Romans 8:6-7

Since the Garden where Adam and Eve committed original sin, our human bent (Carnal Mind) is to be independent of God’s way of thinking.  This is when the mind fell under the law of sin and death and as stated above in Romans 8:6-7, our Carnal Mind in its original state is at war with God.  Praise be to God that Jesus came to break this curse through the cross and give us the power to be reborn of the Spirit and have our minds renewed in Christ.  Once we are born of the Spirit we have the power to choose to be spiritually minded but we have to turn from or die to the things of the world and pursue the things of the Spirit as stated in Romans 12:2  “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.”  As believers, I think we would all agree that we desire to know God’s perfect and pleasing will for us and live in peace.So how do we truly walk by the Spirit and enjoy the Fruits of God’s Spirit in our lives?  First we must truly understand what Jesus did for us on the Cross.  By dying and pouring out His blood he not only gave us the gift of salvation but He gave us the ability to be cleansed of our past, present and future sins.  The enemy was defeated, the grave overcome, physical and mental healing was made available to us to have victory over our oppressor and accuser.  Access to this power simply requires childlike faith and courage to face our demons head on by the power of the Holy Spirit. We must believe and then pursue the things of the Spirit to include prayer, God’s Word and truth, healing and deliverance, godly relationships, praise and worship, serving and humility to fill our Spirit man daily and displace the old Carnally Minded habits and patterns with the new things of Christ.  If we eat of the things of this world we will eat of the flesh and produce sin and death but if we eat and drink daily of God’s spirit we will reproduce of the spirt and life.  Eating of the bread of life and drinking living water of Christ will keep us from hungering and thirsting for the things of the flesh.  He fills us with good things.It is very important to understand that the Carnally Minded Sin nature produces sins that leads to death but the life giving Spiritually minded produces peace that leads to life.  Not comprehending this and taking hold of it produces a continuous cycle of sins, condemnation, repentance, a temporary victory and the repeat of the agonizing experience.  This is the “pattern of the world”.  You cannot reform flesh with flesh, it can only be transformed by the Spirit.   This happens through the process of dying to our flesh and being born again of the Spirit.  “That, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth”. Ephesians 4:22-24So let’s take hold of the life that is truly life and walk in the things of the spirit…Have a great week…-Duane

Word of the Week - Rescued and Redeemed

For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” Colossians 1:13-14

As believers, we are qualified to share in the inheritance of God’s kingdom as co-heirs to His mighty Kingdom.  On the surface this does not seem to make sense from a worldly perspective, what have any of us done to receive such an amazing promise?  That is the amazingly good news, we are qualified because of Christ Jesus, who has secured our Redemption through His blood on the cross.  Our Redemption is a eternal transaction where Jesus traded His blood for our eternal destiny.  Moreover, He purchased for us deliverance from the bondage of all sin both original and our own, so we can live and flourish in this life and the next.  We must take hold of this truth and walk in it.Through our Redemption, we are delivered from sin and introduced to the Redemptive freedom of Christ.  When Adam transgressed in the garden, he sold mankind into slavery lock, stock and barrel.  Since that time, humanity was held hostage by the Kingdom of darkness.  It was a hopeless situation because the only way to undo what had been done was for mankind to redeem or ransom what was lost (Leviticus 26:25-26).   Jesus came and took it all back for us.  What Adam did in the garden, Jesus undid on the cross.  “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!  Consequently, just as on trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.” Romans 5:17-18Several things happened when Christ Redeemed us.  First, He rescued us from sin’s domain, which means we are no longer hostage and the enemy has no authority or claim over us.  We are now legally and rightfully under God’s Kingdom and authority and thus share in His power.  This means we cannot experience eternal death due to sin. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 6:23. We exist in an entirely different realm now that this translation has taken place.  We are qualified as His Redeemed sons and daughters because of the ransom He payed for us.Our Redemption includes the forgiveness of our sins, which pardons us from its penalty.  This means we have freedom, pardon, deliverance and remission and do not have to carry the guilt of our sins.  The cleansing agent of Jesus’ blood removes every trace and effect of sin and washes us clean, as white as snow.  He not only forgives, but He takes away our sin as far as the East is from the West.I hope that we can truly take hold of the reality of what Christ has done for us and rejoice in this amazing gift and sing the song of the Redeemed.Rejoice you are Redeemed through the blood of the Lamb of Christ!!!!!-Duane

Word of the Week - Sacrifice

“We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” 1 John 3:16

This holiday weekend we celebrate something that I think is sometimes hard for many of us to comprehend:  the sacrifice of soldiers' lives for the sake of our freedom. In recent years I've heard many conflicted views on this matter. But I think it would be a mistake to see these brave men and women as merely victims. While each fallen soldier has a unique story, each soldier is a hero who willingly laid down his or her life for a greater cause.  I think part of our struggle to understand the fallen soldier comes with our difficulty in accepting sacrifice, especially when a sacrifice seems so final and appears to hold no obvious reward. The idea that someone could give up everything - for people they don’t even know - is hard to process. We spend so much of life trying to gain, to acquire, to win. Our country is home to the American Dream, the land of opportunity. So contemplating the fallen solider can feel uncomfortable, even confusing but it important to remember the Sacrifice, which should give us a heart of appreciation and gratitude.So on this Memorial Day we remember the 1.2 million men an women who have made the ultimate Sacrifice by giving their lives in service of our Country, I am reminded of the sobering reality of the true price of freedom, and how fortunate we are to live in the United States of American, “the land of the free” because of the price others paid for our freedom.  I am very grateful and humbled by this amazing reality.  In a similar frame, I am even more grateful for the fact that God freely chose to come down to earth in the flesh as Jesus our Messiah and was crucified for our sins, so we can have eternal freedom (salvation) and live with God forever.  “For it is for Freedom that Christ set us free” Galatians 5:1.  “You, my brothers, were called to be free.  But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love” Galatians 5:13.  Let us remember who God is and what He has done for us through the Cross and let this be our motivation to live the great commandment to “Love God and Love others” by serving God and others in Love.  Lord, I pray that we would remember and understand the reality of what others have done for us as Americans and even more amazingly what you have done for us as Christians and never forget the suffering you endured for our benefit.  Let us receive the fullness of your love and Sacrifice.Jesus the Messiah who Died to give us Life and Freedom both now and for Eternity, the ultimate Sacrifice.-Duane

Word of the Week - Full Armor of God

“Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” Ephesians 6:10-13.  “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all of the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:14-17

In follow up to last week’s message on the Authority we have in Christ (see below), I want to expound on the Armor of God and its power and benefits in our lives along with those under our covering and authority (children and grandchildren).  Like most things of the spirit, our faith is an active process that we must engage daily to receive the benefits.  As noted last week, we all have an enemy of our soul that is trying to “steal, kill and destroy” John 10:10, so in order to defend ourselves from these attacks God has given us spiritual Armor for our protection.  We must put on the “whole” Armor each day to receive the full benefits of God’s Armor for us.I literally put on the Armor of God each morning with my 14 year old daughter Isabella.  Starting with our head and working our way down to our feet then picking up the shield and sword, we put on the full Armor of Christ before we go out to take on our day:

1. We put on the “Helmet of Salvation”.  Knowing that our salvation is in and through Christ gives us blessed asurance and peace of mind.  It sure makes the day a lot better remembering our eternal destiny in Christ.  “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
2. In a world that is full of sin and evil, we must protect our hearts and purity of spirit by putting on the “Breastplate of Righteousness”.  Knowing Jesus is our most holy righteousness we look at His life, death and resurrection to be our righteousness.
3. Since we have an enemy who is a liar and accuser and will use any tactic to confuse us through lies and deception we must buckle the “Belt of Truth” around our waist so we know the truth and live free by walking in the truth.  “then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” John 8:32.
4. The “Shoes of Gospel of Peace” represent the Good News of the Gospel that we are called to evangelize with all both near and far.  As we stand firm, we are standing on our foundation in Christ that is solid and steady so we can be secure especially as we are out in the world doing what God has called us to do.  “And how shall they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written:  “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”. Romans 10:5.
5. The “Shield of Faith” is necessary to defend against the fiery darts of the enemy that are constantly coming at us trying to penetrate our hearts and minds.  Faith and trust in Jesus is the essence of our relationship with God and it is impossible to know or please God without faith.  Faith is the catalyst that changes everything in our lives but we must continue to take up our Shield of Faith daily through prayer, reading of God’s word and fellowship with other believers to keep our faith healthy and strong and have full covering and protection.  “Faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” Hebrews 11:1
6. Finally we take an offensive posture against our enemy through the “Sword of the Spirit” which is God’s word.  We are given Authority through God’s word in the scriptures to triumph in victory over principalities of darkness and evil.  By praying and quoting scripture we are taking the fight to the enemy of our soul.  This is our ultimate weapon to overcome the enemy and have victory in Christ Jesus.  Jesus modeled this for us while he was on earth and gave us a great example of how to not only defend ourselves from the devil but put him in his rightful place with our foot on his neck.  “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-two edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”.  Hebrews 4:12

Se be encouraged, God has equipped us with His full Armor to go out each day and live under His protection and experience victory over the enemy.  “For God did not give us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love and self-control”. 2 Timothy 1:7Fight the good fight with the “Full Armor of God”.Have a great week…..-Duane

Word of the Week - Authority

Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” Luke 10:19

As believers, we all have an enemy of our soul whose number one goal is to “steal, kill and destroy” John 10:10.  He is not an imaginary, mythical character, but a spirit being whose objective is to cause destruction to believers by keeping us away from God’s plan and purpose for our lives.  He uses all types of tactics including temptation, confusion, lies, pain, relational strife, fear, anxiety and much, much more to keep us from God’s best.  The good news is that through the cross and by the blood of Jesus, we have been given Authority over the enemy, but we must expose the enemy and exercise our Authority if we are to overcome.  God has provided everything we need to walk in victory over the enemy and his schemes.  2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of sound mind”.Whether we realize it or not, Satan knows our strengths and weaknesses.  He is watching for opportunities to catch us off guard so he can slip into our lives and create havoc.  He is the great deceiver and desires for us to put blame elsewhere opposed to seeing the truth, he loves confusion.  As a subtle manipulator of circumstances, the enemy works to deceive us by blaming events, people or even God for the destructive things he does.  Make not mistake about it; your spouse, parents, children, pastor, employer, friends, foes, God – none of these are the real enemy.  “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  Ephesians 6:12.  Satan is the real enemy.But as Christ followers we are not intimidated because we have a great deal of Authority!  That being said, we must exercise our Authority daily to win the battle.  By recognizing and exposing the attacks, resisting the enemy, taking an offensive posture by praying scripture and standing firm in faith, we have victory over the enemy and his schemes.  God has given us all the Authority we need to defeat the enemy and his works.  We have spiritual armor but we must have the discipline to put it on daily.  “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” Ephesians 6:10-13.  “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all of the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:14-17Our ultimate Authority is the name of Jesus.  “Therefore God also as highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth” Philippians 2:9-10.  When we use Jesus’ name, the enemy’s strongholds cannot stand.So lets expose the enemy and use our Authority to fight for victory over the enemy in the name of Jesus!!!!Have a great week…We are overcomers!!!!!!-Duane