DAY FORTY SIX | Desires For Life

June 15, 2009

DAY FORTY SIX | DESIRES FOR LIFE

MARK 8 : 35 – For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.

There are many desires that come into our lives that we would love to bring to reality. However many of our desires do not pass the test of Kingdom priority and should be left to die. This scripture shows us clearly the two kinds of desires that vie for attention in our lives.

FIRSTLY there are the desires that save and increase our own lives. These are the desires that make us feel good about ourselves, and our future. These desires want to save us from sacrifice, hard yards, pain and suffering and all the other impositions associated with kingdom living.

SECONDLY there are the desires for the cause of the Gospel. These desires are deeper and more foundational to our Christian life, and can often be ignored for the more superficial and obvious desires of lifestyle. The desires we have for the spreading of the Gospel will cause us to lay down our rights to convenience, comfort and crowds, and lead us to serve, suffer and share with Christ in His passion for the lost.

- Desires for greatness begin with true desires to serve.
- Desires for influence begin with true desires to invest.
- Desires to win in life begin with true desires to yield your own rights.
- Desires to reap a harvest begin with true desires to sow a field.

It is possible to have all the desires for success in life and still lose it all. It is also possible to have the true desires to yield it all for His sake and gain everything. It is an amazing thing to watch people attempting to gain it all, and yet failing to deal with their most basic desires.

Learn to control your desires for life, so that all of your earthly desires are wrapped up in desires for His kingdom cause, and you will find He gives it all back to you and more.

If your desire is for God’s House – His desire will be for Your House.

DAY FORTY FIVE | Loose & Walking

June 14, 2009

DAY FORTY FIVE | LOOSE AND WALKING

Dan. 3:25 – “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

What a contrast to verse 23 when we see our three heroes, bound, falling down and burning. It would appear as though everything they had lived for was wasted. They were losers. Their cause was noble but ineffective. The huge world system was about to swallow them up. But wait! There is a fourth shadow in the fires and it looks like the Son of God. Amazing how three young men can actually find deliverance whilst still in the fiery trial. We so often wait for some miraculous deliverance to get us out of our trials, rather than getting Christ into the furnace with us.

Here they are now; Loose and walking and unhurt. Try it, get up in your fiery trial and start walking with Christ. The only thing the fire will touch are the ropes and things that shackle you in your flesh. The consuming fire of God on the inside of you is now your protection against the fiery attacks of the enemy. The fiery trials of life will never destroy the person on fire for God. The fires of passion raging within your heart will bring you through any fiery trial. Unhurt, unscathed and without even the smell of smoke!

Consider verse 27. On whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed, nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them. Don’t be one of those people who has survived a fiery trial, but smell badly of smoke. All they talk about is the ordeal they went through and how they somehow survived. Get up now! In the fire, and start walking around with Christ. What a buzz it is to know that the fire has no power over you. You are consumed with a fire far greater than any opposition contrived by man or devil.

The fire of the Holy Spirit within burns with an intensity not seen or understood by the human mind, but it will deliver you from all the works of the evil one. Get up and start walking around in the fire, and the Son of the Living God will walk with you.

DAY FORTY FOUR | Let it Be Known

June 13, 2009

DAY FORTY FOUR | LET IT BE KNOWN

Dan. 3:18 – But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

There are times when one must stand up and declare their faith. In those times when the pressure of circumstances and opposition, is demanding of you some form of surrender. The Hebrew boys were facing a fiery furnace for taking a stand concerning their allegiance to the God of Israel. They did not have to renounce Him, only acknowledge the sovereignty of the God-person who ruled their lives on planet earth.

There are many times when the Gods of this world will demand we give them their rightful due. Sure be a Christian but be real about everyday life. It is in these times that you need to “let it be known” that your allegiance and service is to the Living God. To “let it be known” is to choose the way of the Lord over the way of this world. To choose the delights of heaven over the fleeting fantasies of earth! To choose to walk in the way of the Lord rather than stand in the way of sinners! To choose to obey His word rather than the dictates of men! To choose to build His kingdom and serve His cause above all others! To choose to honour your commitments over your emotional feelings! It is often when things are extremely hot that you will have to make a choice.

Either decide to accommodate the ways of the world and conveniently avoid a confrontation, or take a stand for righteousness and pay the price for what you know to be “His way.” Know this! You may well end up in a fiery trial for your righteous convictions, but there will be one standing with you who will lead you through the fires and bring you out stronger and greater than when you went in.

Today! Let it be known to those around you what you really believe. Stop accommodating things that can destroy your soul and “let it be known” you live for His cause, and Him alone.

DAY FOURTY THREE AND COUNTING

June 12, 2009

The response to the “70 days to excel” campaign has been amazing. People from all over the world and from all walks of life have felt challenged to join our season of improvement. Because we are over half way through our allocated time, I felt it would be good to revisit our basic commitments made when starting.

The 70 days to excel came about because we wanted to prepare for a greater season of effectiveness in the future.

The 70 days came about because it was exactly ten weeks from our initial commitment to the end of the Hillsong Conference in Sydney, and we would celebrate our achievements together.

The five areas of improvement were identified as; Physical, Spiritual, Relational, Vocational and Financial.

We did not set rules or regimes as we felt this was to be a personal commitment to improve in whatever area challenged you the most.

We have had many wonderful responses from people of all ages who have felt challenged to address areas that have needed improvement, or to excel-erate an area being developed.

Some of the most wonderful testimonies have come from mature age people who had decided to accept their lot in life, but were now challenged to believe God for improvement and growth.

The last three weeks of our 70 days have great potential if you will continue to fight a good fight. Don’t give up even if you have not seen the success you were looking for. Start from today if you have stopped. Give yourself another chance to improve and go forward. And most of all continue to believe that with God’s grace anything is possible.

Keep believing – keep achieving – keep pressing forward and most of all keep looking for God to show up and do amazing things in and through your life.

Steve Penny

DAY FORTY THREE | Learning To Profit

June 12, 2009

DAY FORTY THREE | LEARNING TO PROFIT

ISAIAH 48:17 – Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.

Learning to profit in life is not as easy as it sounds. If it was, we would all be living very profitable and prosperous lives. However, God is very keen for His people to prosper. In verse 15 He declares of Israel, “Yes! I have called him. I have brought him, and his way will prosper.”

Learning to profit in life is all about knowing who sent you and who sustains you. To be called of God into His great cause for creation, is the most wonderful, the most noble, and the most rewarding vocation on planet earth. Once you have settled the issue that you are called by God to fulfil His cause, then whatever you put your hand to in life will prosper. Whether you are a housewife or a politician, a truck-driver or a teacher, a servant or a great leader, you will prosper when you fulfil your role as unto the Lord.

Learning to profit and to prosper begins by knowing you belong to the elite band of creations “rich and famous.” You joined when you received Christ into your life. You became a child of the most High God. You were granted a place at the right hand of God in heavenly places to rule and reign with Him over all creation.

Your role is to learn “heavenly places” living. You can learn how to sit with Christ in royal places and be taught from the Most High how to profit in all you do. He is the Lord your God and He will teach you how to profit. Spending time in His presence and in His word is the only way to learn from Him. Verse 18 declares, “Oh, that you had heeded my commandments.”

There is only one manual on earth that teaches us how to live in royal places, and it is available to all. Today get your Bible and learn how to profit in all you do.

DAY FORTY TWO | Why The Tears

June 11, 2009

DAY FORTY TWO | WHY THE TEARS?

PSALM 84:6 – As they pass through the Valley of Baca (tears), they make it a spring: the rain also covers it with pools.”

Custom has it that when ancient pilgrims had to camp in a dry and desolate valley, they would dig a small well, so that others coming after them would find waters to refresh them. Understand this! Tough times come to all who journey by faith. There will be some dry desolate valleys where no water can be found. Read more

DAY FORTY ONE | Moving On

June 10, 2009

DAY FORTY ONE | MOVING ON

PSALM 84 : 5 – Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage.

When did you last do something out of your normal routine? Blessed is the man who sets his heart, and makes himself ready to move on. I don’t mean packing your bags and running every time there is a problem in your world. I do mean preparing yourself for new adventures in your walk of faith. To prepare you heart for journeying does not mean you have a restless spirit; rather you are ready to rise to new challenges when they are presented to you. Read more

DAY FORTY | Wise People Win Souls

June 9, 2009

DAY FORTY | WISE PEOPLE WIN SOULS

DANIEL 12 : 3 – Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.”

He that wins souls is wise. God has given us such a wonderful life full of blessing and hope for eternity. How unbelievably selfish it would be to keep such a blessed hope to ourselves. Why then do we find it so difficult to share our faith, and to speak of the love of God shed abroad in our hearts. God’s light has come and we are the carriers.

I think possibly because we have been trained to share steps or formulas to salvation, rather than simply live the delights of our Christian faith. Light does not need to be advertised. Wherever light shines in darkness it can and will be seen. Light has a way of making itself known. Light is associated with wisdom, whereas darkness is associated with foolishness.

I love the fact that the Bible declares that we are to turn people to righteousness, not just add a “decision” notch to our belt. We are to help people make wise decisions and to show them how to live righteous lives. Righteousness must be outlived through us for others to follow.

To turn people to righteousness requires that you are living a righteous life.

A life full of faith and faithfulness!
A life full of fellowship with Godly people!
A life full of endeavour for the cause of Christ!
A life full of commitment for the local church!
A life full of love; for God, others and life!

Your righteousness will shine when you make wise decisions in your Christian walk. Sadly many so called Christians make repeated dumb decisions and wonder then why no-one follows the Christ they talk about. Those who are wise shall shine!

DAY THIRTY NINE | God Has A Plan For You

June 8, 2009

DAY THIRTY NINE | GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOU

JEREMIAH 29 : 11 – For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

This is another one of my many favourite scriptures. Let me share what I get from this verse. Read more

DAY THIRTY EIGHT | Boasting In The Lord

June 7, 2009

DAY THIRTY EIGHT | BOASTING IN THE LORD

1 CORINTHIANS 10 : 17 – “But he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

In Jeremiah 10:23&24 we read two powerful scriptures on how to boast in life.

Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, hat he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD. Read more

« Previous Page — Next Page »