Stir & Spur to Greater Life
When you say, "How are you doing?" people usually give a quick (positive) answer, and the conversation moves on. If you slow things down and pursue a more thoughtful answer, you can usually expect a pause - as the person takes stock of their emotional condition and reviews their recent performance. Their status will often be expressed in terms of a treadmill week. And life goes on.
This need not be – there is more to life than a weekly treadmill. Jesus came that our lives may be abundant and full. (John 10:10) We must remember that we will be most fulfilled and alive when we are most spiritually alive. Paul reminds his younger friend Timothy to stir up (the fire of) the spiritual gifting within him. (2 Timothy 1:6) Sometimes we have to intentionally stir ourselves up to rekindle that fire.
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What kind of things fire you up?
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When was the last time you were on fire?
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This might be a good time to put yourself in a setting or two that are likely to stir you...
How to Behave Like a Good King
When I was very young my older brother and I loved to play King. We would make card castles, and we would drape blankets over our shoulders. We’d throw cards at each other’s castles until we eventually destroyed them. Then we would traipse around with our blanket-trains following us, declaring that we were the conquering kings.
There is something deep inside our beings that loves the idea of kings and kingdoms.
A time is coming when, “the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom of our Lord and His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15) Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords; every knee in heaven and on earth and below the earth will bow before Him. (Philippians 2:10) He is the Benevolent Ruler who gives life, rather than takes it. He fights to free people, not conquer them. He is the One who provides for His people, rather than receives provision from them. His...
Living Well In Turbulent Times
It seems there is new and ongoing upheaval and violence across many areas of the world. There are unsettled feelings and anxieties almost everywhere. How should we live in such times?
Let’s remember some key truths from Scripture:
- We are receiving a Kingdom that can’t be shaken. The end of Hebrews 12 indicates that God will allow/cause shaking in the world so that only the eternal things that cannot be shaken will remain. In other words, God will shake the hell out of the earth, so the things of heaven are what remain. This is good news, not bad. “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”” (Hebrews 12 28-28) The Kingdom of God is within and among believers – heaven is in our midst. (Luke 17:21)
- The primary battles of this life are in the spiritual realm, not against people. “Our struggle is not...
Is God Really "For" Us?
Our intentions and motives don’t always align with our actions. Sometimes our intentions are better than our actions. Many people intend to pray more than they actually do, or maybe they intend to study more hours than they actually log, or they intend to be nicer to their spouse than they actually are. In these cases people hope to be judged according to their intentions rather than their actions.
On the other hand, sometimes our intentions are worse than our actions. We may make judgments against others in our heart, but not ever communicate those judgments or do anything about them. We may judge or condemn or try to manipulate people, but hide our true intentions so that they may go undetected. In these situations we hope to only be judged by our actions, not our sinister intentions.
What about God’s intentions – can we clearly discern them? Not always. God’s intentions are to advance His Kingdom so that more and more people will know Him and experience...
Learn to Be BOTH Still and Active!
One of the great challenges of our day is that hardly any of us are very good at stilling ourselves before the Lord. The good news is that we can all learn to do so.
There is, however, an additional problem that might surface as we learn to be still. As we behold God’s goodness, experience measures of healing in our souls, and get in touch with our true selves, we have the potential to get stuck.
Sometimes, we can so enjoy our time with the Lord that we become passive in our faith.
When we learn to receive, rather than strive, we might (unintentionally) forget the value of purposefully pursuing the Lord, and the importance of obeying His direction.
No one means to become too passive or disobedient, but it can happen if we over-prize our experience of Him, rather than our growing relationship with Him.
Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
The verse goes on to say, “I wil be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in...
Does Your House Need A Clean Up?
Sometimes the things that seem like they will make our lives easier and more efficient are the very things that can steal our purpose and passion right out from under us.
God’s desire has always been to draw people from all nations into His eternal household. But, “doing church” (or, in this case, "doing temple") got in the way of that purpose in the lives and practice of the people of God. Addressing the people in Jerusalem, Jesus quoted from the book of Isaiah and said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.’” (Mark 11:17) When the people came to make sacrifices at the temple they had to bring animals, or grain or whatever was needed. This proved to be quite an inconvenience for those who had a long way to travel, so they developed a system of exchange right at the temple. People could simply bring money and “buy” what they needed for...
A Simple Step to Release God's Kingdom as you Go!
When Jesus walked the earth, He declared that the Kingdom of God was at hand. He could do this because He was living under the rule and reign of His Father in Heaven. He said,
“I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19)
Jesus lived, died, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. He purchased for us the same kind of relationship He had with His Father in heaven. He opened the door to life in the Holy Spirit in a way that had never been understood or experienced before. So now, wherever you go, you can also declare that the Kingdom is at hand – if you know Jesus. His rule, resources and insights are with you – God Himself is with you!
The next time you go to work, you can declare, “The Kingdom of God has arrived, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against its advance through me.” ...
An Invitation to God's Healing, Deepening and New Direction - Podcast
Click Here to Tune in to hear this astounding and inspiring story of redemption, healing and hope.
It was a delight to sit with Joe Fornear, a long-time friend of mine from high school days. I KNOW that you, too, will be encouraged to hear what he has to share.
In this podcast, you will hear some of Joe's honest reflections on
- life lived as a self-professed "racecar that needed a steering wheel".
- his own mental health struggles
- relational struggles with profound effects
- God's interventions and "glorious salvation"
- the impactful gifts of those who invested in him
- his diagnosis of Late Stage Metastatic Melanoma
- an oncologist's shocking "death sentence" when no more could be done
- God's MIRACULOUS healing
- how God is moving in and through him today in an amazing and inspiring ministry
Really...You do not want to miss this one!
~ Coach Tom
Live in the Power of God!
Do you feel like you are getting good traction in your life?
Sometimes we are not gaining ground because we are not aligned with our Design, Placement and Purposes from God.
Click Here: Live in the Power of God
In this podcast, we look at aligning ourselves with God's Gifting.
We particularly focus on the Ascension Gifts (or APEST Gifts) expressed in Ephesians 4:11-13.
We look at the purposes of the different gifts.
We look at how each gifting - or manifestation of the Holy Spirit - functions ... what it looks like in real life.
We also consider how we can identify and grow in the expression of these gifts that God has appointed.
The goal is to continue to grow in your own unique expression of God's gifting and fruit, representing Him will and extending His Kingdom in your spheres of influence.
If you'd like to explore this in more depth, listen to my podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1806644/9061632
Greater Formation and Power Podcast Intro
Learn to Grow and Flow in God's Ocean.
- God's Truth - Intimacy with God - Power in the Holy Spirit
* Check out my NEW Podcast, “Greater Formation and Power”
You can get it wherever you get your podcasts, or you can go to GreaterFormationandPower.com.
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~ Coach Tom
