DAY SIXTY TWO | Confidence – 5

July 1, 2009

DAY SIXTY TWO | CONFIDENCE – 5

Psalm 4: 8, “The Lord only causes me to dwell in safety.”

The final conviction that produces amazing confidence in God is that He is my shield and my defence. I am confident that I will be safe when I entrust my life to the Lord. Learning to trust God to keep you safe is a huge lesson for some people. Some people have never been in a position of security and safety and so it is hard for them to accept that a God they have never seen can be their security. At the end of the day you must be able to lie down and go to sleep knowing that your life is held in the arms of a loving heavenly Father. It is all about trust. God can never be truly God to you, unless you implicitly trust Him with everything you have.

On the journey of life there will be many occasions when our security and safety is threatened. These are not times to fall apart, but rather are times to fall into the arms of our loving Heavenly Father.

Remember the story of Jesus in the small fishing boat crossing the lake on a ministry journey. A huge storm blew up and threatened the lives of all on board. Everyone worked feverishly to bail the water out of the sinking boat, but Jesus was sound asleep while this panic attack was taking place.

You must never let the storms of life get into your spirit. They will come as sure as night follows day. But when they come you must express your trust in the Lord to deliver you and find a place to lie down and take a nap.

Nothing has ever been achieved through worry, but plenty has been achieved the next morning after you have rested up and are refreshed to face another day.

DAY SIXTY ONE | Confidence – 4

June 30, 2009

DAY SIXTY ONE | CONFIDENCE – 4

Psalm 4:7, The Lord puts gladness in my heart.”

The fourth conviction that produces confidence in our lives is that God has placed His spirit of joy within us. Joy is the infallible proof of the presence of God. In His presence is fullness of joy. When God is with us He puts His joy and gladness in our hearts. Read more

DAY SIXTY | Confidence 3

June 29, 2009

DAY SIXTY | CONFIDENCE – 3

Psalm 4:6, “The Lord lifts up the light of His countenance upon us.”

The third conviction that produces confidence in our lives is our belief that, “God will reveal Himself to me.” So many people live in a gloomy fog of never quite knowing what God has in store for them. They are forever wandering through life like a ship at sea in a murky fog. Read more

DAY FIFTY NINE | Confidence – 2

June 28, 2009

DAY FIFTY NINE | CONFIDENCE – 2

Psalm 4:3 “The Lord has set apart the Godly for Himself.”

Our second conviction which produces confidence is simply: God has positioned me for good success.

There is something powerful in knowing that we have been appointed to a position of strength and good success. You must know you have been set apart by God to fulfil His purposes and extend His Kingdom. When you honestly believe that God has raised you up together with Christ, to sit in an exalted position of authority and dominion, you have a confidence that cannot be shaken. To believe that all things in life have been placed “under” your position, gives you an ability to see life from a different vantage point. You are above and not beneath. Read more

DAY FIFTY EIGHT | Confidence in God – 1

June 27, 2009

DAY FIFTY EIGHT | CONFIDENCE IN GOD – 1

Psalm 4:1 “The Lord has relieved me in my distress.”

There are a number of convictions found in Psalm four which help us live with confidence in God. The first has to do with trouble and hard times. So often we allow our troubles to undermine our confidence in God and we can then become very introspective and self-judging. When something difficult comes your way you need to express confidence in a number of areas. Read more

DAY FIFTY SEVEN | The Great Commission

June 26, 2009

DAY FIFTY SEVEN | THE GREAT COMMISSION

Matthew 28 and Mark 16

GO INTO ALL WORLD MAKE DISCIPLES

The great commission of Jesus to His church is captured in the above six words. All the other work we do, and all the words we say should be distilled down into these six words. We are called to make disciples of all nations. It is our mandate. Successful Christians live these six words daily. Read more

DAY FIFTY SIX | The Cause Of The Poor

June 25, 2009

DAY FIFTY SIX | THE CAUSE OF THE POOR

Proverbs 29:7 – The righteous considers the cause of the poor, but the wicked does not understand such knowledge.”

It is very easy in life to discount the poor and oppressed as having no right or voice in the matters of life and to believe that only the learned, wealthy and successful should get to voice their opinions and stake their claims. The Bible seems to disagree. It declares that the poor have a cause and a case to put, and that righteous people should give the poor room to make their case and stake their claim. The righteous are commanded to consider the cause of the poor.

Where would we be without the Wilberforce’s, Mandela’s and Mother Teresa’s of this world? People who considered the cause of the poor and then did something about it! Those who consider the cause of the poor are close to God’s heart.

Caring for the broken, defending the unprotected, carrying the wounded, and delivering the oppressed, are all actions motivated by the love of God for mankind. The wicked cannot understand such things, as wickedness is borne out of a love for self, and such selfless actions are incomprehensible to the wicked person.

Jesus said, “the poor you will always have with you.” We are surrounded by “poor people” who do not have the capacity to help themselves, and it is these people who need a saviour with skin on who looks like you.

Hey before you run out and grab anyone who looks like they need some help here are a few helpful hints.

• Take time to listen to their cause
• Then consider if their cause is genuine.
• Work out a self-help solution with them
• Give them what is required to get them started.
• Walk with them until they see good success.

16 DAYS TO GO!

June 24, 2009

I must admit that from the start of our Excel 70 season, 70 days seemed like such a long time to go without some of the things I love in life.

However as we focussed on the gains to be had, we realized that this special season was not so much about GIVING UP as it was about GOING UP.

We together agreed that we would individually do what was necessary to go to the next level in specific areas of our lives.

Many of our friends and colleagues have expressed amazement at the work of God in their lives over the past eight weeks as they have focussed on believing God for breakthrough

and growth in their lives.

We are now just over a week away from the beginning of the great Hillsong Conference in Sydney Australia, which for many of us was to be the culmination of our “70 days to excel” journey.

I know that I have seen God’s grace at work in my life over this excel 70 season, as I have triumphed in some areas, and to be honest – failed in others.

However the excel 70 season has again brought into focus the need to continually present ourselves as living sacrifices before God for His help and strength in our lives.

It has also reminded me that we are on a journey of faith that never ends while on earth, and our mission is to continue becoming more Christlike, so that by our lives we will

convince others of the Love of our Heavenly father.

To me our excel 70 season was never just about dieting or financial breakthrough alone , but much more about going to the next level of faith and Godliness.

Only time and others will be a able to bear witness to the effects of 70 days to Excel 2009 in my life.

I hope and pray it will be evident in my life to those who know me well.

Steve Penny

DAY FIFTY FIVE | The Crown Of The Wise

June 24, 2009

DAY FIFTY FIVE | THE CROWN OF THE WISE

PROVERBS 14 : 24. – The crown of the wise is their riches, but the foolishness of fools is their folly.

Wise people use riches in such a way they become a crown of honour on their lives, whereas a foolish person uses riches in such a way it become a clown’s hat of folly. Read more

DAY FIFTY FOUR | Faint Not

June 23, 2009

DAY FIFTY FOUR | FAINT NOT

After my father died I found an old note book he had used when being mentored and taught as a young Christian. On the front cover was the word FAINT indicating the lines inside were printed faintly. My father had added the word NOT, thus making a statement that has been with me from that day on. Read more

« Previous Page — Next Page »