Word of the Week - Overcomer

"In all these things we are more than conquerors (Overcomers) through Him who loved us." Romans 8:37

We live in a fallen and broken world - It is very challenging for us to understand the concept of living in the victory as an “Overcomer” especially when we are experiencing the pain and brokenness of the tribulations of life.  Many Christians, especially in America, believe that if we are walking in the grace of the Holy Spirit that we will be blessed and everything will go well with us.  That we will have a life where everything works in our relationships, vocations, health etc.  This is what I thought as a new believer when I began my journey of faith 20 years ago, but this is simply not what God’s Word says and it is not true.  In fact it is almost to the contrary, if you study the gospel it is a love story of pain, sacrifice and tribulation even unto death.  This concept is not too popular but it is where we find the abundant life Christ talked about.  No matter your faith or belief, the reality is that we live in a broken world that is cursed with evil, pain and disease and thus we all will face trials and tribulations in our lives, some of us more than others.  This reality is noted throughout the New Testament and is highlighted by the analogy “of us all having our own cross to carry” as followers of Christ. 

Victory in Christ - The real questions is how we deal with the trials and tribulations of life.  As believers, if we truly understand and receive this truth, we can have victory over any situation no matter the circumstance, because we know the final outcome.  We are on the winning team no matter what the scoreboard of life says, because of what Jesus did for us on the Cross.  So why does God allow us to suffer the pain and trials of life while on earth?  It is simple, trials are the only way that we can be tested and refined into the image of Christ.  “He uses all things for good” Romans 8:28  So as Overcomers we can relate with the great Apostle Paul and “rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” Romans 5:3-5. 

Victory begins in the spiritual realm – “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of the dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” Ephesians 6:12  We must understand that we have an enemy of our soul that is at work in the spiritual realm.  We win and overcome by focusing on the battle in the spirit (heavenlies) through tactics of the spirit not of the flesh.  “The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  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 10:4-5  This is how we Overcome!!!

Next week I plan to share some truths and tactics on spiritual warfare to sharpen our spiritual battle skills so we can live in victory as overcomers in Christ Jesus no matter what circumstances we face here on earth in this temporary journey through life.   

Have a great week as an Overcomer in Christ!!!!!

-Duane

Word of the Week - Healing

Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, Psalm 103:2-3

God our Healer - There are many benefits to a relationship with the Lord Jesus but one powerful benefit that seems to be overlooked by many Christians is the gift of Healing. We all have areas of our lives that have dis-ease and need healing.  Whether we who are struggling with physical, mental, emotional, relational or spiritual brokenness, our God wants to bring us healing.  In Exodus 15:26 God introduces Himself as Jehovah- Rapha, “the Lord who heals.”  The word Rapha means “to heal, to cure, to restore and make whole”.  By calling Himself Jehovah-Rapha, He is saying, Healing is what I am”.  Our God is the Great Physician.  Wholeness and restoration is what God desires for us in all areas of our lives.  Nothing that causes pain or suffering in our lives is above the healing touch of Jesus.  The key to receiving healing in our lives is first to accept and receive the fullness of God’s grace and forgiveness through the blood that He shed on the cross, this is salvation.  “He (Jesus) Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds we have been healed” 1 Peter 2:24  Once we believe on Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we can then trust in Him for His healing power.    

Ingredients to receiving healing – God is sovereign and can heal anyone at any time whether they ask Him or not.  That being said there are a few things in scripture that God prescribes to those who are seeking a healing touch from the Lord.  These include:

• Prayer – “For everyone who asks, receives.  Everyone who seeks, finds.  And everyone who knocks, the door will be opened” Matthew 7:8  Prayer is simply our way of communing with the Lord.  We share our hearts with Him and let Him know our concerns, fears, hopes and dreams.  If we have a personal relationship with the Creator of all things and the great physician, we should simply ask Him to Heal us.
• Faith – “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not yet seen” Hebrews 11:1  Faith is the key ingredient for God to move and work in His miraculous way.  Faith places our belief and trust in God into the active state.  It is by faith that that God moves, so we should do whatever necessary to strengthen and increase our faith in the Lord Jesus. 
• Praise and Worship – “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” Ephesians 6:12  Our biggest weapon against the enemy is acknowledging God by putting Him in the proper place through our praise and worship.  God’s name is above every name.  The name of Jesus is our trump card and is above the name of disease.  Everything must bow to the name of Jesus. 
• Fasting – “So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer”. Ezra 8:23  Fasting is a way to humble ourselves and couple the physical realm with the spiritual.  Fasting in conjunction with prayer adds another dimension of desperation and dependence upon the Lord as we cry out and trust for healing.   

Healing is Personal  – We all need healing at different levels but from time to time we have circumstances in life that are dire.  In these situations we become more desperate and dependent upon the Lord to show up and do His miraculous work.  This is what we are believing for my dear friend John Michael Pierce , see picture of me and John Michael here.  John Michael is a 24 year old amazing young man who loves life and is loved by all who know him.  Just 3 weeks ago out of nowhere he was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer.  He is a picture of health and life.  On Thursday night at a prayer meeting we hosted for John Michael at our home, he shared with our group of prayer warriors that when he found out about his diagnosis he simply cried out to God and asked that God would send an army of angels to surround him as he battles through this season.  He testified that God is answering his prayers and doing an amazing work in his life through this time of trial.  The Lord gave him the scripture Joshua 1:9 “This is my command – be strong and courageous!  Do not be afraid or discouraged.  For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” As a body of believers we need others during these times as there is power as we unite in faith and agreement and stand with each other bearing the trials of life together.  I would like to ask each of you to please join us in praying and fasting for John Michael’s healing from cancer.  

Salvation and healing are God’s twin mercies.  So let’s posture ourselves for forgiveness and Healing of all of our disease and be restored in the name of Jesus.  Our ultimate healing is not in this world but in heaven united with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for eternity.  So if we can truly embrace an eternal perspective then we will find healing in all circumstances as the apostle Paul understood and shared in Philippians 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” What we lose in life we will gain in heaven.  Before that time comes, our purpose on earth is to live as a light of hope in the darkness of sin and death and point others to the hope that brings healing.

Have a great week…. 

-Duane

Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ.  From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” Ephesians 4:13-16

Principles of Growth and Practical Application – Last week I shared how important it is that we are growing and maturing spiritually, and the reality that many Christians are not growing in the things of God.  I shared scripture that urge us to grow up in the things of the spirit to flourish in our walk with Christ and experience the best things God has for us.  I also shared 3 basic questions to assess whether you are growing and maturing spiritually: 1) are you growing in godly character, 2) are you a giver or taker, and 3) Is your life baring fruit, see below.  This week I want to share several principles and practical applications that will ensure you are growing spiritually.

What are we doing to grow up in Christ?  Here are a few principles that if implemented will ensure spiritual growth and maturity:

Fostering God’s presence through spiritual disciplines & daily rhythms  – The word tells us that God is the bread of life and that we must remain connected to the vine of Christ to receive what we need to sustain our spiritual health and for our lives to grow and bare fruit.  This is a state of being but is result of the things we do day to day to remain plugged into the source of the spirit – Jesus.  It does not happen by osmosis but through making God a priority in our day to day life activities. 

• Are you making your connection with God the top priority each day by giving Him your first fruits of time and energy.  Are you spending time in God’s word and writing God’s word on your heart by memorization?  Are you thanking and praising God each day and letting Him know how much you love and appreciate Him by counting your blessing and having a heart of gratitude.  Are you having an ongoing conversation with God and sharing your thoughts, concerns and dreams with Him through prayer. “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” Matthew 6:33
• Are you connected to the body of Christ through the local church?  Are you attending church and small groups regularly?  Are you sharing and praying with others regularly?  Do you have spiritual authority covering your life and are you actively using your gifts and serving in the body of Christ.  Do you have other believers who know you intimately and allowing them to speak into your life.  Are you part of a small group of like-minded believers who are encouraging you in your walk with God and will speak the truth in love.  “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Romans 12:4-5

Living life intentionally with a plan – Very few things happen serendipitously as it relates to growth and maturity.  We must be intentional in planning and prioritizing growth.  The following are a few practical tools that will ensure you are growing:

• Do you have a life Vision, Mission, Values and Purpose and is it based on a Kingdom vision.  Just like the principles we use to grow our companies and in other areas of life, you cannot grow and develop if you don’t have a clear plan on where you are going, why you are going there and what it ultimately looks like.  You also need to have ways to measure and monitor progress along the way.  If you don’t already have a life plan that entails Vision, Mission, Values and Purpose then you should get busy working on one.  
• Do you have a spiritual friend, mentor or life coach who knows your life plan, goals and objectives and is encouraging you and holding you accountable.  Are you meeting with someone weekly, monthly or quarterly to discuss the plan and assess your progress?  I personally believe we should all have people in our lives who know us very well and are coaching us along the way.  I have all of these in my life and they are a huge part of why I am growing and maturing.  People who love us and want us to become all God desires for us to be. “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.  For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow.  But woe to him who is alone when he fails and has not another to lift him up!  Again, if two lied together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?  And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him – a threefold cord is not quickly broken”. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Loving God by loving others by pouring out your life through ministry – To grow we must step out of our comfort zone and focus our energy on the greater good and making a difference.  Are we living for something bigger than ourselves?  Are we adding value to others and finding fulfillment in loving and serving others?

• Ministry is simply using the gifts, experiences and resources God has given to you to love, bless and help others in their journey.  It simply is a way to respond to your love for God by loving what He loves and values, His people.  He especially has a heart for those who are lost and don’t know him yet.  So how are you loving God and others each day?  How are you adding value to others to help them come to faith or grow in their faith?  This is the biggest opportunity we have and truly the biggest joy of life, to use our gifts to impact the lives of others for God’s Kingdom and for His glory.  “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” Matthew 20:28
• Knowing our God purpose and calling is one of the most important things in our journey of spiritual growth.  Discovering and understanding our unique God purpose is one of the most exciting and transformational aspects of our walk of faith.  I will never forget after I first stepped into my journey of faith and began to discover my God purpose, it was truly life changing for me.  I started living with a different perspective going from the “Got to, to the Get to”.  There is nothing more fulfilling or joyous in life than loving God and others in your gifting. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works that He prepared for us in advance” Ephesians 2:10  Living out our lives with purpose in communion with the Holy Spirt, this is the abundant life of the believer.  Understanding it is not about us but about us partnering with the God of the universe to achieve His master plan for all mankind and we get to play a meaningful role in God’s master plan.

To grow spiritually, we simply have to engage in a walk of faith whereby we are not walking by what we see but trusting the living God and His spirit to lead us.  Building our lives and identity on the rock of Christ so we know who we are in Christ. Recognizing that our life on this earth is preparing us for what is to come for eternity.  Like Paul said in Philippians 3:13-14 “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But the one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Have a great week growing in Christ and living “the life that is truly life”.

-Duane

Word of the Week - Spiritual Growth

In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again.  You need milk, not solid food!  Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.  But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”  Hebrews 5:12-14

Spiritual Growth and Maturity – Similar to how we want our kids to grow and mature in the things of life, so does our heavenly Father desire for us to grow up and mature in the spirit to become mature and complete, not lacking anything. The goal is to become Christ-like and spiritually fruitful.  We watch babies learn to crawl, walk, talk and then develop life skills and knowledge through education to become healthy and productive young adults. Ultimately we hope and pray that our children develop goldy character in their journey of transition from dependence on their parents to independence from their parents to dependence on God.  In our spiritual journey, we generally start off with an independent or rebellious spirit towards God until we realize we need Him, which hopefully prompts our spirit to pursue a relationship with Him.  This is salvation, the beginning of our spiritual journey; we are born of the spirit and begin as infants in our faith.  Some Christians stop here and never grow and mature in their faith and miss out on the greatest opportunity.  Just like a good parent, God desires for us all to grow and mature in our spiritual journey by becoming fully dependent on God and relying on Him rather than ourselves in every area of our life.  Walking by faith and not by sight, realizing that He is our everything, and we need Him and should desire to pursue Him in all things. 

So what does spiritual growth and maturity actually look like?  What are we doing to grow up in Christ?  Here are a few areas to consider as we evaluate ourselves in the area of spiritual growth and maturity:

Are you growing in godly character – Just as we desire for our children to grow up and develop our values and a good and healthy character making them productive young adults.  As Christ followers, we grow and develop godly character by living life with steadfast godly values and virtues.  If we have godly character, we stand firm on the rock of Christ in the good times and through the challenging trials of life; this is what develops and demonstrates our true character, the essence of who we are and what we believe.  Generally the trials of life are most revealing of our character and are the biggest opportunity to forge our character and help us grow and mature as followers of Jesus.  James 1:2-3 clearly communicates this process of maturity “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” This is the process of building godly character to become mature in Christ.  The goal of a believer is to continue to be transformed into the likeness of Christ.  He is our model for godly character and we know if we are taking on His nature and character if we grow and produce “the fruit of His spirit, which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

Are you a consumer/taker or a contributor/giver  – “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son Jesus so that we can have eternal life” John 3:16  The essence of God is love and He demonstrated His love by giving us Christ who gave up His life so that we can have access to God and our salvation through the cross.  We serve a loving and giving God who desires for us to have His giving nature.  In our human nature we are born selfish and focused on what we want and need.  It is only through God’s spirit that we are transformed and made new in Christ.  In our new identity in Christ, we begin to understand that “It is more blessed to give than to receive” Acts 20:35. This is truly a test of our spiritual maturity. Are we men and woman who wake up every day thinking about ourselves and what we desire to consume or how we can be a blessing to others.  Are we thinking about how we can use our gifts and resources to serve ourselves or are we thinking about how we can use our gifts and blessings to love and serve God by serving others.  It is usually easy for us to see self-centeredness in others, especially our kids, but not so easy to see it in ourselves; Therefore, it is important for us to do an honest assessment of ourselves in this area as it is a key indicator of spiritual growth and maturity.

Is your life bearing fruit and are you reproducing in the things of the spirt  – “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a gad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Therefore by their fruits you will know them”. Matthew 7:17-20.  At the end of the day, the real test to whether or not we are growing and maturing in our faith is the fruitfulness of our lives.  Are our lives bearing fruit and reproducing by multiplication?  Can we truly point to godly fruit from our lives in areas such as our children, our families, our businesses, our ministries, our centers of influence?  Can we point to specific lives that have been impacted by Christ working in us and through us?  This is God’s heart for us to know Him in a personal relationship then grow up and mature so we can impact others and grow His family as we grow up and mature in His image.  This is the gospel and the abundant life He speaks about. “The seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” Luke 8:15

Many Christians are living their lives still drinking milk as infants or they are stuck in adolescence and have not grown up.  The best things of God can only be experienced through growing up and maturing in Christ.  No matter where we are in the process, we all need to be growing and maturing in our spiritual journey.  I encourage us all to take time to evaluate our spiritual growth and maturity and step into whatever is needed to continue growing up in Christ.  This is the only way we will experience the fullness of what God has in store for us so we can become mature and complete, not lacking anything.  “So we fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith”.  Hebrews 12:2

Have a great week.

-Duane

Word of the Week - Great Co-Mission

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 28:18-20

God’s Heart – God loves us so much that He gave us Jesus so that we can be restored to relational fellowship with Him through the Cross.  This is the gift of salvation and God desires for all to be saved.  “This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who want everyone to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.  For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man of Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:4  Everything God has done and is doing is for this one main purpose, for all to come to know Him and have eternal salvation through personal relationship with Jesus.  If this is God’s heart and primary focus then it should be our heart and primary focus.  Though our walk of faith is tremendously beneficial to us and our personal lives, God’s purpose is to bless us with spiritual health and blessings so that we can be ambassadors for Him to share the good news with others and build God’s Kingdom.  As we abide in Christ, we should bare good fruit that makes our lives attractive and fruitful to those around us in our sphere of influence (family, friendships, workplace, community etc.)  The greatest fruit of God’s spirit is bearing witness to God by sharing with others what God has done in our lives, which is our God story (our testimony).  This is how we encourage others who may not know God and have a personal relationship with God, to pursue Him and come to know Christ.  This is the heart of God and the most important thing to know Him, abide in Him and to live with purpose on mission to share the Good News of the gospel with others, especially those who are lost and don’t know God.

The Great Co-Mission – God has commissioned us to partner with him in this great Co-mission (God and His church (you and me)).  What an amazing opportunity and privilege for us to partner with God in this most important mission for all mankind, that has eternal implications.  This is our opportunity to truly change the world by influencing those around us.  I am often blown away by the reality of what God has done in my own life over the past 20 years since my salvation experience.  Even though I grew up in a good family going to church, I did not have a personal relationship with Jesus and thus my life was not fruitful.  I was not living on mission.  From a spiritual perspective, I was lost and just trying to work my way through life hoping I could do enough good works to be accepted by God.  My spiritual condition had meaningful negative implications on my mind, emotions and physical health, which impacted every area of my life.  I was not living to my God given potential and I didn’t really know how to get there.  By the grace of God and the fruit of others who did know Jesus were abiding in Him and were on mission to share His good news, I had a host of Jesus followers reaching out to me, praying for me, sharing their testimony with me, and inviting me to trust God and make Him Lord of my life.  This gradually led to me surrendering my life to Christ and experiencing new life and new purpose.  If God can do this in my life then I know He can do it in others and I get to be part of the process, what an amazing opportunity.  If we understand the law of numbers and exponential compounding growth, the return on investment which I call Eternal Rate of Return (ERR) is exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ever imagine.  “He will do immeasurably more than we can ever ask or imagine by His spirit at work within us, for His glory” Ephesians 3:20.  We simply have to live on purpose willing to share with others what God has done and point to Jesus as the source.

The Opportunity – There is a huge opportunity for each of us to have a greater impact in our role in the Great Co-Mission. “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!  They are ripe for harvest”  John 4:35  It starts with simply recognizing that no matter who you are and what you do, we each have a group of people around us in our sphere of influence that are lost and probably hurting and don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus. 

My pastor Chris Hodges, who is probably one of the most gifted in this area of anyone I have ever known, he recently shared these simple and practical ways to share God’s love:

• Let’s open our eyes to where they are (family, work, small group, friend, neighbor etc.) We need to connect before we correct.
• Let’s open our eyes to who they are.  We don’t have to be like them, but we do have to love them.
• Let’s open our eyes to what they need.  We need to who people the same kind of love God showed us:  Unconditional love

We need to be salt and light to the world and help them experience the love of Christ.  We must build relationship before we can speak into someone’s life.  “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”.  John Maxwell  

Most people who don’t know God have a distorted view of God.  They think they are not worthy and have to do something to fix themselves to become worthy.  The truth is that God sent Jesus to meet us all right where we are and He is here to save and redeem sinners.  “For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God” Romans 3:23.  We simply need to share the truth and love of Christ so those around us can experience the free gift of salvation by the power of our testimony, the blood of the lamb and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Be encouraged, you are on mission in the greatest mission of all.  The Great Co-Mission with Jesus!!!!!!!!!!

Word of the Week - Abiding (Living in the Presence)

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.   He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.  Remain in me, as I also remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15: 1-5

In the 4^th and final entry of my mini-series on – Abiding - spiritual principles and excerpts from Bruce Wilkerson’s book “Secrets of the Vine – Breaking through to Abundance” (see prior entries below), I want to end with some practical tools, principles, insights and encouragements for this most important and fruitful aspect of the Christian life. The author shares that the pleasure of abiding – and the extraordinary benefits have had tremendous impact on how God has worked through his life and ministry over the past 15 years.  Yet none of it was a result of working harder.  In my own walk of faith I can relate with Bruce on this, it is not about doing more it is about being intentional in connecting and staying connected to God through the person of Jesus.

The Person of Abiding – Abiding is all about the most important friendship of your life.  Abiding doesn’t measure how much you know about your faith or the Bible.  In abiding, we are actively seeking, longing, thirsting to see, know, love, hear and respond to a person, the person of Jesus.  More abiding, means more of God in your life, more of Him in your activities, thoughts and desires.  It seems that most believers don’t really believe God likes them.  We believe He loves us from a theological sense because God loves everybody, but we don’t feel particularly liked by Him.  This is a mindset that keeps us from wanting to spend time with Him.  We need to see Jesus as our best friend who desires to spend time with us and likes us, the good the bad and the ugly.  What we appreciate in a best friend is exactly what God offers.  He is trustworthy and patient.  When He looks at you.  He does not call to mind the sins you’ve asked Him to forgive.  He sees only a beloved friend and worthy heir.   If we really abided in His love, we would come away feeling nourished, so cherished, so liked, that we would desire to spend as much time Him as possible.  

The Principles of Abiding – Abiding begins with visible spiritual disciplines, such as Bible reading and prayer.  Yet we can do these things for years without connecting with the Lord.  We can read a book about a person but not really know the person who wrote the book.  The challenge in abiding is always to break through from dutiful activities to a flourishing relationship with God. 

• Principle 1 – To break through to abiding , we must deepen the quality of our devoted time with God
  • Set apart the kind of time that will build relationship.  Give God your first and best. 
  • Savor God’s word to you – read the Word expecting that God has something specifically for you to hear each day
  • Talk and Listen to Jesus as a Person – He desires to be in relationship with you so see Him as a friend and communicate with Him from that mindset
  • Keep a daily written record/journal of what God is showing you and doing in your life – It is encouraging to record what God is doing in your life and definitely worth writing down
• Principle 2 – To break through to abiding, I must broaden my time of connecting with God – taking it from a morning appointment to an all-day attentiveness to His presence
  • Practicing the Presence – Brother Lawrence , a seventeenth- century lay Christian who worked in a monastery kitchen, describes his presence of abiding in God.  Brother Lawrence had a mindset of practicing the presence of God in all things.  Remaining in Christ by inviting the Lord into everything he did. 
• Principle 3 – We have an enemy that will try to keep us from the power of abiding.  The following are some of the misconceptions that need to be overcome
  • Abiding is not based on feelings.  Communing with God is relational not sensational.  There will be times we feel something special and other times we will not feel anything special.  This is normal and to be expected.  Abiding is an act of faith.
  • To stay connected to the vine of Christ we must be willing to obey Him.  “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in my love”  John 15:10
• Principle 4 – More for less.  When we abide, God can supernaturally multiply your time and efforts. Abiding more and doing less is how God does His work in us and through us.  This is the essence of our walk of faith.
  • Abiding helps us sense the leading of the Lord.  This is how we learn to hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit and become familiar with His ways, which are not our ways. 
  • Abiding helps us tap into all of God’s spiritual riches. 
  • Abiding give us the “rest” we need to bear a much greater yield
  • Abiding carries with it a promise of answered prayer

Joyful Abundance – In abiding in Christ, “God will do immeasurably more than you can ever ask or imagine by His power at work within you”  Ephesians 3:20  

I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15: 1-5

I hope you have benefited from this over the past few weeks.  I am certain that if you make abiding in the Lord your top priority you will experience the Joy of producing abundant fruit in Christ.

Have a great week….

-Duane

Word of the Week - Abiding (First Fruits)

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.   He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.  Remain in me, as I also remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15: 1-5

In part 3 of my mini-series on – Abiding - spiritual principals and excerpts from Bruce Wilkerson’s book “Secrets of the Vine – Breaking through to Abundance” (see prior entries  below), I am excited to share what I believe is most important and fruitful aspect of the Christian life, simply “Abiding (remaining)” in Christ.  Over the past few weeks I shared about the concept of  being pruned by the Lord as a necessary part of the process of maturing in Christ so that we can live to our full potential and “bear much fruit”.  I also shared the difference between being disciplined due to sin in our lives vs. allowing the Lord to prune us for purposes of growing and maturing in our walk of faith.  This week I will share a simple but profound truth that is counter to conventional wisdom but is life changing if we can take hold of it, “His desire and purpose for us is not that we do more for Him (works), but that we choose to invest more time and energy to be with Him (abiding)”!!!!

The great paradox – I think this is one of the biggest deceptions of religion and the wisdom of the world, doing more is better.  As a type A personality who grew up under the ideal of the “American Dream”, I learned that success is about being proactive to do and achieve more.  This is somewhat the definition of success in our culture and it is typically very useful in producing worldly success.  I personally find great satisfaction in producing and achieving, this is how God wired me.  I don’t think it is a bad or negative thing to be driven to produce, unless it is “the thing” that drives us and defines our identity.  The truth is that no matter how much I produce in my own strength, if it is not “fruit of God’s spirit” then it will not be lasting and it will not bring true fulfillment, especially as a follower of Christ who desires to grow in Christ.  In our walk with God as followers of Christ, we must realize that it is God who produces His fruit through us as a bi-product of our connection to Him – through the vine of Christ.  We cannot produce this in our own strength and efforts because it is of divine nature not of mere human efforts.  So God doesn’t want us to do more for Him.  He wants us to do more with Him. In this context our works are simply an outflow of our abiding love for Christ.  We are not working to earn His love and approval but working out of a heart of gratitude in response to His love for us.

Abiding  – “If you remain in me (Abide) and I in you, you will bear much fruit:” John 15:5  Abiding is an imperative from Jesus with a promise.  He makes it very clear to us that in the case of Abiding that He wants us to be the pursuer and initiate.  To abide, we must act, it is not a passive concept.  So even though abiding is not about doing more for God, it is about actively pursuing Him-and typically this does not come naturally or easily.  We have an enemy of our soul that is working 24/7 to keep us from this very powerful connection with Christ.  We have the opportunity to make God our daily priority.  Any of us who are married can probably relate to this concept in relationship with our spouses.  My wife Amy appreciates me doing things for her and our family but what she desires most is connection and me pursuing connection with her.  When I get too focused on doing and producing (performance), which is my nature, then our relationship suffers and is not most fruitful, but when I simply focus my energy on connecting with her by pursuing deeper and more intimate relationship, this is where the stars align and abundant fruit is produced.  In this very same way but at a much greater scale, this is how our relationship with God works, the fruit is a bi-product of the abiding connection with the Lord Jesus.  The power is from Him and thus apart from Him we can “do nothing” of eternal significance.

Priority “First Fruits” – If we understand and believe what Jesus is saying in John 15:1-5 about the importance and power of Abiding in Christ, then we should recognize that this is the most important thing; it trumps everything else.  If it is the most important thing in our walk with Christ then we should make it the highest priority.  If it is the highest priority then it should be the “first” priority that we focus on each and every day.  This is the principle of “First Fruits”, making the Lord and our relationship with Him the “First” and highest priority.  God tells us through scripture that He wants to be first.  The first of the ten commandments tells us that “He wants us to make Him the priority and not put anything before Him” in our lives.  In Matthew 6:33 He tells us to “Seek first the Kingdom (God) and His righteousness, and then all things will be added unto you”.  In other words, Boudreaux translation of the scripture “Make God your first priority and He will take care of the rest”.  Since coming to Christ 20 years ago, I have made this my highest daily priority and goal and I can honesty say that God has done “Immeasurably more than I could have ever asked or imagined by His power at work in me” Ephesians 3:20.  I have a long way to go and will never achieve complete sanctification this side of heaven, but I can honestly say that God has done an amazing work in me and through me as a result (biproduct) of my relentless and at times vigilant pursuit of connecting with Him and making Him a priority in my life.  He is clear when He tells us that “If we seek Him first and make God our priority then we will find Him and live fruitful lives”.

We are born of the spirit of God by accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior, this is salvation.  We only become fruitful and fulfilled followers of Christ by making our relationship with Him a daily priority through Abiding in Christ.  I believe this to be the most important pursuit of a follower of Christ that will lead to the abundant life that Jesus talked about, the life that is truly life. 

Next week I will wrap up this series on the abiding life by sharing practical ways we can “Abide and Live in God’s Presence” and experience the “Joyful Abundance” of remaining in Christ.

Have a great week abiding in Christ!!!!!!!

-Duane

Word of the week - Freedom (Independence Day Word)

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

Independence Day - I hope you are celebrating this day of Independence with family and friends.  This is a special day set aside to commemorate one of the most significant events in our Nation’s history.  July 4^th – also known as Independence Day – is a time to celebrate America. The holiday marks the day in 1776 when the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, signaling the official separation of the 13 original colonies from Great Britain amid the Revolutionary War.  Even in the midst of so much turmoil and division in our country as of late, we must recognize that we still live in the most amazing nation on earth and rejoice in God’s blessing over the United States of America over the past 245 years.  We have much to be thankful as we celebrate this day of Independence. 

The price and value of Freedom:  I think it is most important 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 fathom 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 250 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.

Responsibility of Freedom:  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 5:13

Lord 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, respectful and honoring 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.

On this day I pray that we would remember the cost of Freedom, rejoice in the reality of our Freedom and come together as a nation and body of believers in unity to acknowledge and honor the sacrifice of our veterans and American Heroes who have paid the price for our Freedom.  Additionally, that we would rejoice in the goodness of the Lord and the sacrifice He made on the cross for our eternal salvation/freedom.  This is something to truly celebrate and unite together over.

Next week I will complete my series on “Secrets of the Vine – Breaking through to Abundance” by sharing the essence of the abiding life, More of God, More with God.  Walking with God, not working for Him.  This is the essence of Freedom that Christ came to give us.

God Bless you and God Bless America, the land of the Free,

-Duane

Word of the Week - Abiding (Flourishing under the shears)

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.   He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.  Remain in me, as I also remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15: 1-5

In follow up from last week’s Word – Abiding – disciplining and pruning, spiritual principals and excerpts from Bruce Wilkerson’s book “Secrets of the Vine – Breaking through to Abundance” (see below), being pruned by the Lord is a necessary part of the process of maturing in Christ so that we can live to our full potential and “bear much fruit”.  I shared the difference between being disciplined due to sin in our lives vs. allowing the Lord to prune us for purposes of growing and maturing in our walk of faith. 

Maximizing Fruit – Did you know that growers prune their vineyards more intensely as the vines age (mature)?  According to one horticulture bulletin it explained why:  The vine’s ability to produce growth increases each year, but without the intensive pruning the plant weakens and its crop diminishes.  Mature branches must be pruned hard to achieve maximum yields.  If you look at the future from a maturing plant’s point of view, there is considerable cutting in store.  But from the grower’s point of view, the future holds something wonderful – grapes, grapes, and more grapes.  Abundant fruit being produced by the plant.  This is God’s desire, plan and purpose for each of us as His sons and daughters, to produce abundant fruit but we must stay connected to the vine and be willing to be pruned. 

Inward Pruning – While during the early stages of our walk with Christ is mostly about change in our outward activities and priorities, mature pruning is more about the essence of who we are in our core values and personal identity.  If we grow and mature in Christ over time, God moves in closer for more intensive pruning as we know Him more and grow in our faith and trust in Him.  If we understand this, then we can embrace His exciting truth and look forward with anticipation as we experience the pain of pruning.  We see life and pain through a different lens that gives us strength, courage and hope.  Jesus was the ultimate example for us in His death on the cross.  “So let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.  For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” Hebrews 12:2-3.  Many followers of Christ never experience the best part of the Christian walk because they don’t grow and mature enough to trust God with the pruning shears.  This is not a question of salvation but it is a question of fulfillment and living to your God given potential.  What God ask of us now may seem difficult, but the results if we say yes, will produce more than we can ever imagine.  We can truly live an Ephesians 3:20 life, whereby God is “doing immeasurably/abundantly more than we could ever dream or imagine by His power at work within us for His glory”.  This is the absolute truth and what God desires for all of us but we can only experience this if we are willing to trust Him with the pruning shears. 

Testing of our Faith – In mature pruning, the pruning will intensify as God’s shears cut closer to the core of who we are.  God isn’t just trying to take away; He’s faithfully at work to making room to add strength, productivity, and spiritual power in our life.  His goal is to bring us closer to the “perfect and complete” image of Christ.  “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  James 1:3-4 Tests of faith are various trials and hardships that invite us to surrender to God something of great value even when we have every right not to.  We will feel assaulted or stretched by circumstances, but not distant from God, challenged by Him, but not judged or guilty.  The following are some key areas that we are tested and pruned:

• People we love most – Have we surrendered our marriage/spouse, family/kids, parents, close friends and extended family to God? 
• Our right to know why God does what He does – Have we come to a place that we fully trust God even when it does not make sense and we don’t understand?
• Our love of money and the things of this world – Would we still love and trust God if we lost all of our possessions and had nothing? 
• The source of our significance – Are we willing to give up our dreams and trust that God’s plan is the best plan for our lives?  Is our relationship with God the true source of our significance?

So how will we respond?  Trials will come.  The question is simply whether or not we will let the purposeful pruning of God do its work in us, or will we let the opportunity slip by and go to waste.  In pruning, how we respond makes all the difference. We can complain, rebel, compromise or run away.  Or we can experience the joy, comfort and rest that comes to disciples of Christ when we keep our eyes on Jesus our prize.

“For you, O God, tested us; You refined us like silver…But you brought us to a place of abundance”. Psalm 66:10,12

Next week I will share the essence of the abiding life, More of God, More with God.  Walking with God not working for Him.

Have a great week abiding in Christ!!!!!!!

-Duane

Word of the Week - Abiding (Disciplining and Pruning)

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.   He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.  Remain in me, as I also remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15: 1-5

Happy Father’s Day.  On this special day that is set aside to honor and celebrate our fathers, I cannot think of anything more meaningful to share than the love of our heavenly Father and His deepest desire for us, to be connected to Him through the vine of Christ.  As I mentioned in my “Word of the Week – First Fruits” last week, see below, I was recently reminded of the power abiding/remaining in Christ and the depth of this spiritual truth and how it has impacted my life over the past 20 years.  John 15 is by far my favorite chapter of the bible because it touches the essence of what I believe is the most important thing in our walk of faith as Christians - having an abiding relationship with Jesus and making that the priority of our lives each and every day.  The following are the first of several key principles from John 15 that I have experienced and were highlighted in a book I just completed by Bruce Wilkerson titled “Secrets of the Vine – Breaking through to Abundance”. 

Disciplining vs. Pruning – Our Abba Father loves us so much that He both disciplines and prunes us His sons and daughters.  Similar to our earthly fathers who discipline us in love through our formative years of life so we can grow and develop into healthy, mature and productive adults, so does our heavenly Father discipline us in the spirit, especially if we are on a destructive path of sin.  Discipline and pruning are two different concepts that can feel the same at times.  Where discipline is about getting rid of sin, pruning is about less of self.  “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights” Proverbs 3:11-12   The purpose of discipline and pruning are entirely different, and the consequences of confusing them can be counter-productive.  Bruce shared some ideas in his book to discern between these two concepts.

• Discipline and Pruning both involve pain but the pain from discipline is the consequence of sin, where the pain of pruning is a result of doing something right and God preparing you to grow to a new level of producing Kingdom fruit.
• Generally we are not producing Kingdom fruit when we are being disciplined due to sin but when being pruned we are typically producing Kingdom fruit just not to our full God potential
• When we are in sin and being disciplined, we typically feel guilty and sad; if we are being pruned and know it we should experience relief and trust that God is doing a good work in us for His purpose. 
• The proper response to discipline is repentance, turning to God and away from our sin.  If we are being pruned the best response is releasing our lives to the Lord and giving him access and permission to do the pruning. 

Pruning is Part of the Process to Maturing – If we truly desire to be all God has called us to be then we must embrace the principle of cutting and pruning.  “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”  This is not necessarily a fun process and surely not a refrigerator scripture for most of us but it is part of the refining process of our walk of faith and maturity in Christ.  Pruning is how God answers our prayers when we pray for God’s abundant blessings and that He will make us more like Jesus.  When we are praying that our lives will please Him more and have a greater impact for eternity.  In desiring to grow and go deeper in the things of God, if we choose and allow Him, God our gardener cuts and prunes to remove things that are dead and not productive from our lives to make room for sunlight and nutrience to get to all fruit-bearing branches;  to increase the quality and quantity of the fruit; and to encourage new fruit to develop.  This is the only path to abundance, we must all be cut and pruned.  He must first cut away parts of our lives that drain precious time and energy from what is truly important.  His plan for pruning is not random – He works in each of our lives uniquely to find what needs to but pruned so that we might bear our best fruit.  If we understand that this is part of the process then we can “Count it pure joy” as outlined in James 1:2-4 “whenever you face trials of many kinds (cutting/pruning), because you know the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Our Response – If we truly desire to live to our full potential in Christ and maximize Kingdom fruit while on earth, we should acknowledge to God our Father that we are grateful He loves us so much that He is willing to do the hard work of pruning our lives.  If we have resented the pain of God’s discipline and/or pruning in our lives, we should acknowledge this and let God know we appreciate His deep love for us.  The truth is that our heavenly Father loves us so much that He won’t stop tending our lives as long as we stay connected to His vine. This is simply the process of spiritual maturity and “Breaking through to Abundance”.  So on this Father’s Day, let’s embrace our Abba Father and all He has for us because He truly is a good, good Father that knows what is best and His plan for our lives is much greater than ours.  “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.  For whom He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren”.  Romans 8:28-29

Next week I will share different areas that God typically prunes us of self and what it looks like to Flourish under the shears. 

Happy Father’s Day,

-Duane

Word of the Week - First Fruits

Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the Firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. Proverbs 3:9-10

Personal Experience - This year I am celebrating my 20^th anniversary as a follower of Christ; it was right at 20 years ago that I made a decision to surrender my heart and life to the Lord, and it has by far been the most meaningful and impactful decision of my life to date.  That being said, I am currently working on writing my first book that I hope to complete this fall.  I have felt led to write a book on Heritage Living – building a godly Heritage for a lasting legacy from a biblical perspective and what I have learned and experienced over the past 20 years as it relates to this topic.  I recently spent a few days at my lake house with my friend Jordan Loftis www.storychorus.com who is helping me with the book.  As Jordan was guiding me through the process, I was able to reflect and share with him what God has done over the past 20 years and the impact it has had on my life, especially on my family, friends and others.  It was really encouraging to me to recognize and celebrate the amazing work that God has done and continues to do in me and how He has allowed me to be part of so many fruitful things He is doing.  I am so grateful to God as I really feel like my barns are filled to overflowing and my vats are brimming over with new wine. I am pretty sure this is the abundant life the bible talks about in John 10:10.  “The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy; but I have come so that you may experience the abundant life”.  If I had to boil it all down to one thing it would be the principal of “First Fruits” and making my abiding relationship with God the top priority in my life each and every day.  “I am the vine and you are the branches, if you abide in me, I will abide in you and you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing”. John 15:5

First Fruits - I love the principle of First Fruits because it is so clear and easy to understand.  There are many things about God and our walk of faith that are mystical, and at times, hard for us to understand.  The principal of First Fruits is very straightforward, God simply wants to be the priority in our lives and He wants us to honor Him by giving Him our First and best.  He loves us so much that He is jealous for our love and attention and does not want to compete for the top position in our lives.  He will not take second position.  This concept is emphasized throughout scripture beginning with the 1^st Commandment that states “You shall have no other gods before me”, He simply wants us to put Him First above all things.  With divine order comes diving blessing, this is God’s economy.  He is our Creator and the God of the universe, He deserves and desires to be revered and honored for who He really is and the authority and power He possesses.  I love this principal because it is a tangible way to love and honor the Lord.  This principal not only pertains to our money/resources but to every aspect of our lives, He desires the first of our time, our thoughts, and our pursuits.  He wants to be the first in our day, week, month and year.  For God, order is the priority over quality and quantity.  There is amazing power, both blessings and protection, in the simple daily act of making God First.   I encourage you to test the Lord in the principal of First Fruits.  Put the Lord First and watch your time and resources multiply and overflow.  Seek “First” the Kingdom and His righteousness and all things will be added unto you.  Matthew 6:33

I recently completed a book by Bruce Wilkinson call “Secrets of the Vine” – Breaking Through to Abundance.  It was an amazing book that confirmed my experience and reignited my passion on this topic.  I plan to share a few of the key principals and mindsets from the book on abiding over the next week or two.  I hope this blesses you as much as it has blessed me.

Word of the Week - Accountability

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another”.  Proverbs 27:17

Accountability defined- the quality or state of being accountable:  an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for ones actions: taking ownership or responsibility for ones actions especially as it relates to greater good of the whole (organization, family, team).    

Accountability is Powerful  – Depending on our mindset and experience, it can be a guiding force that drives us to do our best work and live to our full potential, or something that is seen in a negative light that is pushing us to do things we prefer not to do.  By gaining a healthy perspective on Accountability and the factors that make it useful and positive, we can gain a healthy mindset towards Accountability, and use it to help us become all that God has called us to be while we help others do the same.  It has the potential to become an overwhelmingly positive force within our personal lives, families and organizational cultures. “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.  For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.  But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

The Typical Mindset toward Accountability – I think we would all agree that Accountability is key to success in most areas of life to include our personal/family, ministry and workplace.  It has been proven that results and Accountability are highly correlated.  So why do most of us feel negative towards the word and try to avoid it where we can.  For many of us the meaning of Accountability is charged with negative connotations, stress and even fear!  The reason is that we’re accustomed to associating the term with disciplinary measures when something goes wrong and blame is directed towards us.  If you have ever lived or worked in an environment that is routinely plagued with missed deadlines, broken promises with teammates ignoring the rules and failing to live up to their commitments you understand the outcomes of a lack of Accountability.  This typically a result of poor leadership where cultures lack trust, clarity, transparency and psychological safety, which leads to lack of Accountability. This also leads to dysfunction that can really hinder the health and growth of a person, organization or family.  We must gain clarity and truth about Accountability and make sure it is healthy and beneficial.  “For God does not give a spirit of fear and timidity but of love, power and self-discipline” 2 Timothy 1:7

Redefining Accountability – The truth is that people and teams thrive and succeed in all areas of life in cultures of healthy Accountability.  It fosters better relationships, creates healthy environments and eliminates anxiety and stress not knowing where you stand.  But it may not be for everyone as some people decide they would rather go it alone and be individualistic. When you get right down to it, it is simply the willingness to accept ownership and responsibility for our own actions.  It is best if we embrace Accountability and see it as a friendly force that will: 1) Help us achieve our personal goals and objectives, 2) Protect us from things that can sabotage our lives and hinder growth, 3) Help us become healthy, productive, more self-aware and well respected teammates, and

4) Allow us to reach our highest God-given potential in all areas of life.  In fact I would go as far as to say that without meaningful levels of Accountability in life we are destined to live well below our potential. “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near”. Hebrews 10:24-25

Keys to foster Healthy Accountability – Just like most things, it starts with the leader.  Whether it is parenting your children or leading an major corporation, we reproduce ourselves and the environments we create by our actions.  Leaders must walk the talk by having healthy Accountability in their lives. “Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant” Matthew 20:26  

The key elements to promoting healthy accountability include:

• Clarity – being clear on what we expect from ourselves and others and communicating the expectations in a way that they can be clearly tracked, measured and discussed frequently to minimize confusion or misunderstanding.  Make sure there is also clarity on calendar/time and deadlines.
• Trust and Transparency – We must have a culture of trust and integrity to have healthy Accountability. Make sure that the right people have access to the feedback and information they need to know where they stand.  Peer Accountability is most powerful but it is only effective if we have the insight into what is going on so we are equipped to adjust and provide accurate and timely feedback. 
• Vision & Purpose – If we understand the “why” of our teams and organizations it is much easier to take ownership and desire to want to give ourselves fully to the team and be willing to suffer and sacrifice for the great good.
• Grace and Psychological Safety – We must believe that we have each other’s best interest at heart and it is ok to make honest mistakes.  This gives us room to step out and grow knowing that we will have the support of our teammates, which motivates us to embrace Accountability to realize the benefits of the team.  “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” Ephesians 4:32

In my own life I have experienced some of my most meaningful growth, development and break throughs by the power of healthy Accountability in the way of friends/peers, mentors, mentees, business partners, boards of advisors, employees, children, spouse, small groups, paid coaches, counselors and consultants etc.  I desire to embrace Accountability and transparency in my life as a friendly force of protection that is allowing me to grow to my full potential in Christ.  

Have a great week,

-Duane

Word of the week - Health

Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.  This will bring healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Proverbs 3:7-8

What does is mean to be healthy?  I think most of us immediately think of our physical health when we contemplate the concept of being healthy.  God knows how important it is for us to have physical health.  In fact I have heard it said “if you don’t have your health you don’t have much”.  As important as our physical health is to each of us, I would submit that there are many dimensions to being healthy and we must pursue health holistically if we are to truly be healthy and live to our full God given potential.  In this weeks “Word of the Week” I would like to explore 4 different aspects of health to include: Spiritual, Relational, Mental/Emotional, and Physical.  How do we experience health in all of these areas and how do we prioritize?Spiritual Health:  I truly believe that the most important thing for each of us is to have spiritual health.  So what does that look like and what does it mean to be spiritually healthy.  Spiritual wellness provides us with systems of faith, beliefs, values, ethics, principles and morals, which helps us understand and make sense of the world and the big question we all have “why on earth am I here”.  People who are spiritually healthy typically have clarity of vision for why they exist and they live on mission with purpose.  This is truly what God offers us through Christ, a path to know God in a personal way and discover our God given purpose so we can be part of God’s family/team to join in the greatest mission of all, “the Great Co-mission”.  Whereby we are walking and working with God to achieve His masterplan for all mankind.  He truly has a God plan and purpose for each of us as He states in Ephesians “We are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works that He prepared in advance for each of us” Ephesians 2:10.  Based on my personal experience, we have not truly lived until we have experienced life in connection with God and His spirit, and understand our God given purpose for being on this earth.  This is the abundant life that God talks about throughout the bible.  This is life that is truly life and this is what I believe to be Spiritual health.  A place where you are fully trusting God and His plan for your life and pursuing Him daily in an abiding relationship.  There is such peace and security in this place.  “The fruit of the spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.  Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23Relational Health:  Second to our relationship with God is our relationship with others, especially those close to us in our families and circle of influence.  The greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord your God and love others as yourself”.   All too often we experience relational challenges, especially with those closest to us and we end up taking offense and having damaged and unhealthy relationships that may even become toxic.  Due to the brokenness and dysfunction we experience from our past, we end up developing new unhealthy relationships and the river of mud keeps flowing downstream, where unhealthy relationship reproduce more unhealthy relationships.  This is why the Lord made it very clear that we should make it the highest priority in life to do whatever we can to forgive those who offend us and reconcile all of our relationships.  To never harbor unforgiveness because it will turn to bitterness and poison the person who cannot forgive.  “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ forgave you” Ephesians 4:32  We should make every effort to sow love and peace to all in an effort to show the love and grace of the Lord.  “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness” James 3:18  The bottom line is that life is so much better when we are right with God and others and have healthy relationships.  Sometimes the best way to have a healthy relationship is to impose healthy boundaries with certain people to remain in a good place.  Personal relationships can be very challenging but they are truly the greatest source of joy and fulfillment in life so we must do whatever we can within our ability to build and maintain healthy relationships.  This is most pleasing to the Lord our God.  If we want to have healthy relationships we must be in a healthy relationship with the Lord and build and maintain healthy relationships with godly people who can honestly speak into our lives and serve as role models for us to learn from.Mental / Emotional Health:  How we think determines what we do and how we behave, which in turn has a huge impact on our mental and emotional well-being.  Every feeling we feel begins with a thought.  Our lives and how we see God and people is really impacted by our mindset.  So if we have stinking thinking that is not grounded in the truth, we are going to struggle in life across most all areas.  We are seeing mental illness at alarming rates across our country in almost every age category.  The main way to have health in our minds and emotions is to feed our minds healthy godly food by pursuing truth through God’s word and renewing our minds and hearts each day by surrounding ourselves with godly people and not conforming to the patterns of our world/culture.  “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  We have the opportunity to be freed from the bondage of stinking thinking by pursuing truth and taking our thoughts captive and making them obedient to Christ. “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 10:5  So we have the choice each day to feed our minds and souls godly content from God’s word and other sources that builds us up in Christ and gives our minds and souls a sense of peace and security or fill our minds with worldly information that leaves us feeling fearful and insecure.  “For God did not give us a spirit of fear but of love, power and sound mind” 2 Timothy 1:7Physical Health:  Our physical health and condition is definitely important and we should work to live healthy by eating well and exercising our bodies to remain healthy and fit.  That being said, we must understand that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit to be submitted to the Lord.  “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your bodies” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20  That being said, if we have great physical health but don’t know God then we lose what matters most, our soul.  Since we are eternal beings having a temporary physical experience on this earth it is important for us to take care of ourselves to be healthy and extend life but it is more important for us to ensure that our souls are healthy and we have an eternal perspective “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value to all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8I pray that the Lord brings health to us and our families in all areas, so we can experience the goodness of the Lord in His abundant life, the life that is truly life and live to our full God given potential.Have a blessed Memorial Day.  I am grateful for all who have made the ultimate sacrifice so we can have freedom.-Duane

Word of the week - Legacy of Generational Blessing

“One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.”  Psalm 145:4

In follow up from the Word of the Week message last week on “Family”, see here, I wanted to share this message on family Legacy and our opportunity to build families that experience Generational Blessing.Definition and purpose of family: Family is the first institution God created for instilling values for the purpose of preserving culture to impact the world generationally.  As outlined in the verse above, God desires for every person to have a spiritual heritage.  The reality is that God instituted family so we can train and equip our children with godly values so they live to their full God potential and pass godly values on to their children, live multi-generationally. “Train them up in the way he/she should go, And when they are older they will not depart from it” Proverbs 22:6   God imparted into all humans a innate desire to be part of something that will last.  “He has set eternity in the human heart” Ecclesiastes 3:11Building healthy family communication and identity:  We serve a God of order, peace and continuity.  “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace”. 1 Corinthians 14:33  To understand how to build healthy families we must first become healthy people because as I stated in last week’s “word of the week” on Children, we cannot give what we do not have.  It starts with us as leaders of our families having a personal intimate abiding relationship with Christ so He can impart His wisdom into our hearts and minds.  We do live in a broken world and without God’s covering in our lives our families will be susceptible to the reality of generational curse with the sins of the fathers flowing down to the next generation.  This is the way of the world and our culture at large.  So how do we break this cycle?  First and foremost we submit our families to God and put our faith and trust in Him.  But we must do our part by building healthy and intentional communication and trust within our families.  This is done by telling stories and celebrating life.  If we look back in history and see families that had generational impact, they were very intentional about sharing stories of what God had done “Ask the former generation and find out what their ancestors learned” Job 8:8 and they were constantly taking time out to celebrate and remember by hosting festivals. “When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as promised, observe this ceremony.  And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean?’ then tell them. ‘ It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when He struck down the Egyptians.” Exodus 12:25-27Family values, vision and purpose:  Family identity is key to building a godly family Heritage.  Our families must have a strong understanding of who we are and what makes us the Donner’s or Smiths etc.  Family values define the moral and ethical principles of behavior for a family.  Values can be passed down from one generation to the next and this is the most important Heritage we can give our kids and descendants.  Many of our godly values are apparent from our families of origin, but some need to be discovered and can often times be revealed as we think about our past and some of the defining stories/events in our lives.  Our family went through a values exercise about 7-8 years ago and since then we have taken time each year to set aside time in family meetings to talk about our values and assess how we are living out these values.  Asking questions to determine if we are intentionally sharing and communicating these values with our kids and grandkids. Our families stated values include: Faith, Family/Heritage, Perseverance, Health and Generosity.  See linked Family ID worksheet for your reference on family values exercise.  This is a great tool for you to use with your family.As I have stated in past “Word of the week messages” Vision and purpose are key to Heritage living.  “Without vision the people perish” 29:18 I find it interesting that the prior verse is related to disciplining our children “Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire”. Proverbs 29:17   If you cannot see where you are going (Vision) and understand why you are going there (Purpose), it is hard to know what to do.  Lack of Vision and Purpose leads to wandering through life and leaves us lacking identity and much more susceptible to attacks from the enemy of our soul while purposeful living with vision towards something of eternal value is like medicine to our soul that gives us energy, health and protection.  This is the abundant life that Jesus speaks about in John 10:10 when He says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full”.  Live life on offense with Vision, Mission and Purposes and you will have life.  Amy and I recently went through a family Values and Vision workshop with Bill High and the folks from the Signatry https://thesignatry.com/who-we-are/our-history/ and it was very powerful.  We refined our family vision and statement to “Lasting goldy Heritage for 10 Generations” with the mission to achieve this by “Abiding in Christ, Loving God, Serving Others and Living Generously”.Heart of gratitude and generosity is key:  There is definitely power in living intentionally and taking time to discover, define and write down your family Values Vision, Mission and Purpose if we desire to have generational impact.  In fact statistics say we are 90% more likely to achieve our long term goals if we write them down.  That being said, the most important and defining factor is how we live our lives because these things are more caught than taught.  We can go through the exercise but if our lives don’t reflect God’s values then we are just kidding ourselves.  This by no means implies that we have to live perfect lives because that is not possible, we are imperfect human beings and will make mistakes along the way.  The condition and intention of our heart is what matters most and having a heart of gratitude and generosity is evidence that we understand what God has done for each of us by sending Jesus to die so we can have eternal life and live the abundant life while we are here on earth.  This is the most meaningful Heritage we can pass to our children, that they know Christ.  “He gave His only begotten son so that we can have eternal life”. John 3:16, so as we receive this amazing gift we should be filled with heartfelt gratitude and desire to give it away to others.  To give our lives and leverage our influence and possessions to build God’s Kingdom.  This is the heart of God and it is a heart of Generosity towards humanity.  It is interesting that as we study families of wealth over millennia, the ones that have sustained legacy over generations are the ones that have been most generous, especially those who are generous towards the things of God.  “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” Proverbs 11:25God promises us that if we live our lives with God’s values He will bless our descendants up to a thousand generations.  “Know therefore that the Lord God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.” Deuteronomy 7:9  What an amazing and powerful promise of God.  I hope this encourages you toward living on purpose with intentionality to plant seeds for Generational Blessing in your family.  The is the opportunity we have as followers of Christ and Kingdom builders.Have a blessed week,-Duane

Word of the week - Children

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him.  Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.  Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them” Psalm 127: 3-5

Our Children and Grandchildren are a blessing from God and as parents of our families we need to understand our role and involvement in influencing and receiving this blessing.  With divine order comes divine blessing, especially as it relates to raising up our Children.  God is sovereign over our lives and our Children but He is gracious in allowing us to participate in the process as parents.  He loves us and desires the best for us and our families, thus allows us to influence our Children and families, which ultimately influence and impact the world for His Glory.  Being a parent is an amazing blessing but also a big responsibility.  We as parents with God’s help, have the opportunity to sow into our Children and “Train them up in the way he/she should go, And when they are older they will not depart from it” Proverbs 22:6God our heavenly Father has a great model and plan for Parenting.  To understand how to impart God’s ways into our Children I believe we as parents must first become Children of the living God and have a personal intimate relationship with Him so He can impart His wisdom into our hearts and minds.  We cannot give what we do not have, and the only way to possess the things of God is to be connected to the vine of Christ through an abiding relationship with Jesus. John 15:5.  Even though we serve a God of order and principal, many of the things of God come through revelation not necessarily through logical reasoning.  So to know the things of God you must be connected to His spirit to receive His guidance, especially when it comes to the complexity of parenting, it does not always make sense.  I clearly remember when I came to Christ at the age of 33 how God so graciously began to change my perspective on parenting and reveal to me so many ideas that were vital for me at the time because I had two young daughters Mary Kathryn and Saige and really had more questions than answers in regards to parenting.  It is like the lights started to come on, and as I grew in my relationship with God through prayer, reading His word and being discipled, I saw so many things that I had been blind to prior to knowing Him.  It totally changed me and the way Amy and I parented our Children and I believe ultimately changed the trajectory of history for our family and our lives.  Fortunately for me this happened before my daughters entered the challenging phase of teen adolescence.So what does it look like to raise up your kids in a godly manner?  As in most things of God and the spirit, it is an inside job that is more caught than taught, and must begin in our hearts through surrendering our lives, including our family and children to God by acknowledging that our Children are a gift from God and thus they are really His Children that we get to train for a short season of life.  Similar to other blessings, He is their heavenly Father so the reality is we are simply stewarding God’s children. We must get the right perspective and not take possession of our kids and think they are here for us.  From a biblical perspective, we have two primary objectives as parents: 1) To teach, train, equip and model our kids in their walk of faith and do everything we can to ensure that they have a relationship with Christ, and 2) to help them develop and understand their unique talents/giftings and connect with their life purpose so they become healthy, productive and godly citizens who live out their vocational calling to make a difference.  Our job is simply to help them through the “Journey of Transition” from dependence on us as their parents to dependence on God as they become adults. “Discipline your Children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire.” Proverbs 29:17The challenging years of adolescents - One of the most critical and challenging phases of parenting is when our kids are going through adolescents (generally between the ages of 13-17), the transition from kids to young adults.  This is a natural and healthy process when our Children desire to begin the process of gaining independence from us as their parents.  If we don’t have godly clarity and are not equipped with the proper tools this can be a very confusing time that can lead to life-long challenges if not navigated well.  It can feel like rebellion if not put in the right context.  I was blessed with the opportunity to attend JH/Outback www.JHranch.com ; www.jhoutback.com just as my oldest daughter was coming into adolescents.  The godly wisdom that God imparted in me and my family through JH/Outback were life changing and an amazing blessing that continues to impact our family today.  I highly recommend both of these organizations and encourage all parents to take your son/daughter through an Outback or to JH Ranch in their formative teen years, it will truly bless you and your son/daughter.  The simply key is to understand our roles as parents as our kids grow and mature.  As our kids grow we have to change our roles and interact with them in different ways.  This is not necessarily intuitive but it makes perfect sense if you understand it from a biblical perspective.  Check out the attached outline of the Journey of Transition authored by Bruce Johnston the Founder of JH/Outback.Our Children and Grandchildren are a blessing but even in the pain of our Children going astray, by faith God’s plan is perfect and redemptive.   There is no doubt that our biggest blessings in life to date are our 3 daughters, Mary Kathryn (29), Saige (26) and Isabella (16), our four Grandchildren Selah, John Michael, Lily, Hazel with two more on the way😊!!!!   Not to mention the wonderful joy of having two sons by marriage who I get to enjoy life with, especially enjoying God’s creation through hunting and fishing which we are blessed to share as a hobby/passion.  It just keeps getting better and I am so grateful.  All that being said, I do understand the reality of the brokenness of our world and the pain that comes when our relationship with our Children are not good and healthy.  Sometimes no matter how well we parent our Children, they go astray as in the story of the Prodigal son in Luke Chapter 15 “My son, the father said, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  But we have to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was lost and dead to sin and is now alive again; he was lost and is now found”. Luke 15:31-32  I do want to encourage you that it is never too late to begin the process of surrendering our Children to the Lord, even if they are grown.  We serve a God of redemption and second chances so be encouraged, there is always hope.  God is a healer and He desires to heal all His Children and family relationships.  In fact, God ends the Old Testament with the following promise “I will turn the hearts of the parents to their Children, and the hearts of the Children to their parents”  Malachi 4:6I apologize for the length of this “Word of the Week”, I am passionate about family and God’s generational plan for our families so I have too much to share.  So much so that I founded a ministry called Heritage Forum www.heritageforums.com .  Next week I will share the Generational opportunity we have with our families to sow seeds of life into our Children and Grands to have multi-generational impact of blessing on our descendants and God’s Kingdom.Have a blessed week,-Duane

Word of the week - Mothers

“As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem”.  Isaiah 66:13

Love of a mother – Have you ever contemplated the amazing innate love of a mother.  How a mother’s love is so natural and pure that it is hard to put into words.  There is something so very special about the love of a mother.  There is no doubt that God designed woman with an amazing motherly instinct.  It has been scientifically proven that a woman’s body and brain change when they get pregnant and become mothers.  There is no love greater than a mother’s love except the love of God.  A mother’s “Love is patient and kind. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres” 1 Corinthians 13:4&7Motherly love is yet Another way God shows His love for us – I think God’s design for life and family is so amazing and perfect.  There are so many different ways He could have brought human beings into this world and developed them into adults, but He chose to deliver us into the world through our mothers.  As we all know, life is formed as a man and woman come together to sow the seed of life through a pretty amazing process, which is made holy and sacred through the sacrament of marriage.  The process of a mom getting pregnant and a baby being formed inside a mother is really an amazing miracle in and of itself.  Then the mother has a 9 month period of pregnancy where she carries the baby in her womb until the baby is born into the world.  I have 3 daughters and witnessed all of them being born and it was definitely the most amazing special experiences of my life, a true miracle.  I can only imagine what it must feel like to carry and birth the baby, but as am man I will never know. What an amazing privilege and sacrifice for moms.  After going through such an intense process, it is no-wonder why they are so attached and connected to their babies/children.  I think we would all agree that a mother’s love for her children is an amazing godly blessing that is yet another way that God shows His unconditional love for us.  He is the One who designed this perfect process.Unconditional and all-consuming love  – It is apparent to me that most mothers possess deep unconditional love for their children no matter the circumstances.  Children don’t have to earn maternal love it just comes naturally and it is always there.  As the number of children increases, a mother has amazing ability to show and give love to all of her children and make them all feel uniquely loved.  There is a special feeling of love and security that comes from a mother that we cannot get from anywhere else.  Motherly instinct is so critical as it is what is needed to give a baby what it needs to survive and thrive as it comes into this big world needy and defenseless. Maternal love is of divine nature and something we should deeply cherish and all value.  I have personally experienced this with my own mother Lillie who was always there for me, even when I was being an unkind and disrespectful know it all teenage boy.  I lost my mom just over 18 years ago and there are very few days that go by that I don’t think about her and how much I love and miss her.  I am so grateful for my mom who loved me so well, she had an amazing influence on me becoming the person I am today.  I have also witnessed my wife Amy’s unconditional and all-consuming love for our 3 daughters over the years and have always been amazed at the depth of her love and connection with all 3 of our daughters.  It is truly a beautiful thing that I deeply value but don’t fully understand as a man.  Now I am watching my two eldest daughters Mary Kathryn and Saige birth, raise and mother our 4 grandkids (with 2 on the way 😊), and it is truly amazing to see the depth of their love and sacrifice towards their children, my amazing grandchildren.  This is a view from another angle that helps me see an appreciate the love and significance of mothers and their roles in our lives.I have often heard it said that a mother has one of the most significant jobs on earth and I think we would all agree that there are few roles more important than that of a mother.  Billy Graham once said “Only God Himself fully appreciates the influence of a Christian mother in molding of character in her children”Happy Mother’s Day to you mom, Mamie, Amy, Mary Kathryn and Saige and to all you mother’s.  We are so thankful for you and all you do!!!!!-Duane

Word of the Week - Priority

“But seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness and all things will be added unto you”.  Matthew 6:33

Priority defined- something that is more important than other things and that needs to be addressed or dealt with first: the thing or person that someone cares about and thinks is most important: the condition of being more important than something or someone else and therefore coming or being first.Making God our Priority – If there is one message that is very clear from the Lord our God, it is that He desires to be “The Priority” in our lives.  The first commandment says “You shall have no other gods before me” Exodus 20:3  Matthew 6:33 above makes it clear that God desires for us to make Him the first and top Priority in our lives.  I love this principal because it is very simple and easy to understand.  God simply desires to be the first Priority in our lives and we know if we put God first we will enjoy the fruits of His spirit.  With divine order comes divine blessing.What does it look like to make God the Priority – There are many ways that we prioritize people and activities in life but the Lord tells us several times in the old and new testament that we should, "Love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind, and we should love our neighbor as ourselves”  Luke 10:27  With this in mind, I make it my first objective to direct my mind/thoughts toward the Lord as soon as I open my eyes in the morning.  My flesh tries to lead me towards thinking about all of my concerns and the things I need to accomplish in my day but I purpose to think/meditate upon the Lord and how good He is and the many blessings He has bestowed upon me.  The battle we fight begins in our mind so we must “Take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ” 2 Corinthians 10:5 and His word.  |Pastor Craig Groeschel, who is a world class leader and leadership guru who has an amazing podcast on leadership, recently wrote a book called the “Winning the battle in your mind” Winning the war in your mind.   He says that “Your life is always moving in the direction of our strongest thoughts”, which is why we have to choose each morning to set our minds on the things of God.  As we reflect upon the Lord, His truth and His goodness towards us, our hearts come alive as we are reminded of His love for us.  He loves us so much that He sent Christ to die so we can have eternal life and live in the abundant life today.  Personally, I make my connection with God through prayer, praise and scripture reading a “First Fruits” Proverbs 3:9-10  priority every day.  I don’t always succeed but my heart’s desire each morning is to seek the Lord and give the Him my first and my best.  Our Lord and Savior is surely worthy of our first and best each day.The Benefits  – God is so amazing because He knows what is best for us and truly has our best interest at heart.  Not only is He our Creator who clearly understands our unique purpose for being on this earth but He is also a good, good Father who desires to bless us beyond measure.  He desires to do “immeasurably more than we can ever ask or imagine by His power at work within us” Ephesians 3:20 We can only find His blessing through a divine connection with Him, which requires us to make Him a priority every day and within the day.  He is the bread of life and the living water and we can only receive His divine nature and our daily bread if we are connected to Him through the Vine of Christ.  I love the fact that God leaves it up to us to “seek Him first”.  The ball is in our court each and every day, He stands there with open arms desiring for us to pursue Him so we can receive what He has for us.   My life verse is John 15:5 where Jesus tells us “I am the vine, you are the branches, if you abide in me then I will abide in you and you will bare much fruit but apart from me you can do nothing”.  The only way we can find the life of the spirit is by abiding (connecting/pursuing) in Christ.  This is His desire for us and it simply starts with making our relationship with the Lord the top Priority in our lives.I truly believe that putting God first and making Him the utmost priority in all areas of our lives is the key to abundant living that Jesus speaks about.  It is relatively simple but is fueled by our desire to know God through an intimate personal relationship.  My good friend Walter Tutt shared this short video start each day with God that I hope will encourage you to make God the Priority of your life.Have a great week.-Duane

Word of the Week - Joy

May the God of hope fill you with all Joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 15:13Joy defined by Merriam-Webster is the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires: Delight: The state of happiness or felicity:  a source or cause of delight: (verb) to experience great pleasure or delight: rejoice:Joy vs. Happiness - Even though it is similar to the concept of happiness, Joy is much deeper because it is an attitude and condition of our soul.  Happiness tends to be more short term and based upon circumstances and driven by our feelings, whereas Joy is more foundational and based upon a deeper inner condition that can withstand the waves of feelings and circumstances that we all face in our day to day lives.Joy is powerful - It is pretty amazing how both James and Paul talk about the power of Joy at work in our lives and how it can produce within us an inner fortitude that can supply us the strength to live in victory no matter what circumstances we are facing.  “Consider it pure Joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” James 1:2-3.  James is reminding us of a key concept as it relates to Joy, if we trust God and know that He is using us for His plans, then we understand that there is purpose in the pain and we can find the Joy of the process of being sanctified in Christ Jesus.  This gives us hope, peace and strength, which are all foundational to having Joy.  Jesus our savior modeled this for us as He was sacrificing His life for us on the cross.  “So we fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.  For the Joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2.Joy is a choice and a gift - Most importantly I think we need to realize and remember that Joy is a choice.  We receive Joy by faith when we decide to trust God by surrendering our lives to Him and choose to abide daily in Christ through His word and truth, which gives us deep security in our eternal destiny.  Joy is a fruit of God’s spirit that is a byproduct of abiding in Christ. We know that as sons and daughters of the living God our names are written in the Lambs book of life, this is a Joyous reality.  We are co-heirs with Christ Jesus in God’s Kingdom.  If we believe God’s truth then you cannot help but be overjoyed by the reality of what God has so graciously done for us.  “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to test you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s suffering, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy”. 1 Peter4:12-13I think it is pretty amazing how our God so deeply desires us to experience the Joy of the Lord, so much so that He uses the word Joy over 200 times in the bible and encourages us to “Rejoice, always (experience Joy over and over continually), pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18I pray that “The Joy of the Lord will be your strength” Nehemiah 8:10Have a Joy filled week…-Duane 

Word of the Week - Self Control

For the Spirit God Gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and Self-control.  2 Timothy 1:7Self-Control defined by Merrian-Webster as:  restraint exercised over one’s own impulses, emotions, or desires;  the ability to manage your actions and feelings.  Self-control is one factor that separates humans from animals, although there seems to be a growing idea in our culture today towards the idea that we should pursue whatever makes us feel good and the idea of self-control limits us from being happy.    The challenge:  “I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate to do.  And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.  As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  For I have desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do-this I keep doing.  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” Romans 7:15-20.  As Paul shares in this scripture, there seems to be something at work within us that is contrary to the concept of Self-control.  Paul identifies this as our sinful nature.  There are lots of references to the idea of Self-control in God’s word.  In fact most of the old testament is basically the story of man’s inability to have enough Self-control to meet God’s standard of perfect holiness.  The idea of Self-control is very interesting because it implies that we as humans have the ability to control ourselves and our environment, which as Paul shares in the above scripture does not seem to be achievable, at least in our own strength.The consequences: “There is a way that seems right to a man that leads to death.” Proverbs 14:12  Don’t get me wrong, I believe whole heartedly that we are responsible for our actions and we will be held accountable for the consequences of poor decisions and sin; what we do and how we live during our short journey on early really matters for eternity.  The truth is that our sin nature combined with the fallen nature of this world draws us down a path of death.   “For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.” Romans 3:23The Hope and Good News: “For God so loved the world that He gave us His only begotten son Jesus so that we may have eternal life” John 3;16  Even the strongest willed among us remain humanly imperfect and lack self-control of the flesh and soul, which leads to sin and death.  This is the reason that God sent His son Jesus to establish a new covenant whereby we overcome sin and judgement through the power of the blood of the lamb that was slain to cover our sins and give us access to overcoming power through Christ. “The spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you”. Romans 8:11We are made holy and righteous by what He did and not through our ability to achieve perfection.  Therefore, by surrendering our lives fully to Christ we receive His power to overcome the soul and flesh and gain Self-Control by His Spirit being alive within us.  Through our daily surrender of self and connection to the vine of Christ, we receive the gift of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and Self-control.  These are the fruits of God’s spirit that are only produced in us as a biproduct of our abiding connection with Christ John 15:5.  We cannot sufficiently produce these things in our own strength no matter how hard we try but must depend on the Lord to give us what we need to overcome the enemy of our soul and our self.  This is the life that is truly life, in Christ alone.Have a great week.-Duane

Word of the Week - The Precious Blood

In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.  Hebrews 9:22He is Risen!!!!  Easter and the celebration of the Resurrection, which we celebrated last Sunday, is the most powerful reality of our faith as followers of Christ “Christians”.  In order to live in the Resurrection Power as believers, we must understand where the power comes from so we can be equipped to exercise the power and experience the benefits of the sacrifice that our Lord Jesus made for each of us on the Cross at Calgary.  It is the precious Blood of Christ, the perfect lamb of God that was poured out for us as a sin offering so that we can receive forgiveness and have eternal life.Power in the Blood – It was God who made all living things and created Blood as the substance that carries and represents life.  In the old covenant, before Jesus, all sin had to be atoned for through the shedding of the Blood of animals.  God demonstrated the protecting and delivering power of the Blood, when He commanded Israel to take the Blood of a perfect lamb and place it on the door post of their homes to protect them from the death angel that would pass through Egypt. All who covered their homes and families with the blood escaped judgement and were spared.  Those who decided to go it alone were not.  This is the Passover.Jesus Sacrifice – God’s complete holiness had to be justified.  The sin of mankind had to be judged and atoned for once and for all.  God provided the way by giving of Himself in sending His son Jesus, who alone was qualified as the perfect “lamb of God” to pour out Himself as the ultimate sacrifice.  His Blood covers our past, present and future sins and gives us victory over the enemy of our soul.  “And they overcame Satan by the blood of the lamb, and by the word of their testimony” Revelation 12:11Receive the Gift of the Blood and use it against the enemy of your soul – Jesus bought you!  He paid for our sins with His own Blood!  Therefore, we are His the minute we accept His gift of life by surrendering our lives to Him.  Let’s believe it, receive it, rejoice in it and walk in it!  It is the Blood of Jesus not our good works that purges us of any defilement/sin.  It is the Blood of Jesus that keeps us and guards our hearts and minds each day.  It is the Blood of Jesus that prevents deception and aborts every attempt of the enemy to deceive us.  The Blood of Jesus is our divine covering and protection against all the fiery darts of the evil one.  “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His Blood-to be received by faith”. Romans 3:23-24Oh! Precious is the flow That makes me white as snow; No other fount I know.  Nothing but the blood of Jesus!!!!!!!!!!Have great week knowing that you are covered by the Blood of Jesus……-Duane