STRENGTH IS COMING

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Lord, I’m weary. My energy is sagging, and my motivation is lagging. And I am so in need of you. I need your strength and your fresh touch to get back on track again. Your Word says the joy of the Lord is my strength. If that's true, then I need your joy to replace all the bone-tired parts of my mind, body, and soul.

The pressures of life sometimes push me into a corner, rendering me helpless to move forward. A hundred voices call my name, and I feel paralyzed at times to answer, not knowing where to turn. 

Lord, help me not to quit, to keep running the race faithfully, and to find strength in that safe, secret place of yours, under the shadow of the Almighty.

I need your strength to say no when I'm tempted to surrender to harmful things, or when selfishness clings to my clothes and won't let go. I need your strength to say yes, when cowardice and fear nudge me to deny the convictions of my heart. I need your strength to reach out in love to those both close to me and all around me. 

When don't I need your strength, God?

You are my rock, and I run to you today, believing that you will lift up my heavy arms, that you will fuel me for the tasks you've given me, and that your joy will completely consume the weakness of my life and make me strong again. I don't want to stay grounded, crippled by limitations and failed attempts. I'm tired of feeble efforts. 

Lord, I want to mount up with wings like an eagle and not just fly. I want to soar.

Renew my strength, Lord. Fill me with your supernatural power to overcome each obstacle in my path. 

With my eyes on you, Lord, with you walking beside me, working through me, I can make it. Thank you, Lord!

In Jesus's name, Amen - (Jordan's Prayer)

Need that prayer? Many of you have said you do…

Yet:

We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties. - Oswald Chambers

We talked about that passage yesterday from Isaiah.  

We were reminded that to GAIN that strength we need to EMBRACE the PRESENCE of GOD; we need to be INTERTWINED.

Today:

Be reminded He is your ROCK.

Be reminded He is your REFUGE.

Be reminded He is your STRENGTH.

He can be trusted to lift, protect, shield, refresh, forgive, re-energize, correct, convict, change, and reveal.  Let Him.

Have some stumbling blocks? Let Him be the guide around or through them.

A stronghold that is hindering you?  Surrender and confess it.

GOD is poised to bring you back and close to Him right from the start of today. GOD is poised to refresh and bring healing.  God is poised to change the tenor of the last few days into something new and possible.

Link up.  Trust Him.

“I had struggled so hard and so long that I had simply exhausted myself, only to find that God had all the time in the world to wait for me to allow Him to free me.” ― Michelle McKinney Hammond

That is true.

HE will.

Start with eyes on Him.

Strength is coming. 

I love you ALL!

FREEDOM CHURCH (CHAMPIONS NETWORK)

INTERTWINE

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

“God’s presence is everywhere around us. God is able to penetrate intertwine himself within the fibers of the human self in such a way that those who are enveloped in His loving companionship will never be alone.” - Dallas Willard, Hearing God…

Will you engage it today?

A few weeks back our Senior Pastor Mark was sharing from this very familiar passage…

Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

He shared something that I didn’t know or hadn’t heard before.  The word “wait” in HEBREW is defined as to “originally twist”; that those who are waiting upon the Lord are “twisted” together with the Lord or in other words “INTERTWINED”.

That paints quite the picture doesn’t it?

That when we are INTERTWINED in the presence of GOD our STRENGTH for today is RENEWED!  When we are INTERTWINED with the presence of GOD we won’t weary in our well doing.  When we are INTERTWINED with the presence of GOD we can continue to walk, to persevere, to endure and not grow faint!

“God has called us into a place of tenderness, when nobody is looking, when there are no great decisions to make, when it’s just him and me in a hotel room, with no one to pray for, no one to preach to. When it is just two people in a room, that’s where you learn. That’s where you learn his heartbeat. That’s where you learn the presence. That’s where you learn the voice. It’s in the moments when nobody is watching, nobody is evaluating how good you’re doing. When it is just you and him.” ― Bill Johnson

Therefore:

When we are INTERTWINED in the presence of GOD that is when we learn the heartbeat of GOD.  When we are INTERTWINED in the presence of GOD we confirm ourselves as COMPANIONS!  When we are INTERTWINED in the presence of GOD we are NEVER alone!God has said: ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’. (Hebrews 13:5 PH)

So ask yourself the questions this morning.

Am I INTERTWINED?

What can I do to embrace the presence of GOD that is so readily available to me?

Is it time for some worship?

Is it time for a little quiet respite from the “to do” list?

Is it time for a little focus or listening?

GOD is ready to speak to you this morning.

GOD is ready to sift through the distractions and noise and take your hand in companionship to walk with you through the day.

GOD is ready to twist his Hands around the reins on this day and guide your through it.

“Wait on Him”

“Intertwine”.

Make it just the two of you for a minute.

“Let us occupy ourselves entirely in knowing God. The more we know Him, the more we will desire to know Him. As love increases with knowledge, the more we know God, the more we will truly love Him. We will learn to love Him equally in times of distress or in times of great joy.” ― Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God

I love you ALL!

FREEDOM CHURCH (CHAMPIONS NETWORK)

COMPLETENESS

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

“Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God's love encompasses us completely. ... He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken.” ― Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Grab hold of that today…

All of us fall into that flawed and rejected designation from time to time.

Many struggle with awkwardness and sorrow.

Daily I encounter the deeply broken; sometimes he is the fellow in the mirror.

God knows our flaws, every one of them and still loves us deeply and completely.

Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)

The LORD appeared to us...saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness

That is why it is SO POWERFUL to start this day and this week with these powerful TRUTHS.

GOD loves you unconditionally.

GOD will fill in the gaps and make you whole if you will allow Him.

When we have nothing in the tank, when our weaknesses are on full display or in full-throat, GOD will provide the strength and the voice to overcome them!

The bottom line is GOD truly does have something great in store for you today in spite of you!

Trust Him!

Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in his love than in your weakness.” ― Mother Teresa

Did you catch what she just said?

Since we have confirmed that in spite of all of the FLAWS, GOD is offering you today HIS unconditional, all powerful, all inclusive, all encompassing, all directing love, it is safe to say that GOD believes in you and must have something AMAZING for you to accomplish with HIM today. 

Philippians 2:13

…for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Our job today is to look past our incompleteness to His completeness.

Our job today is to look past our imperfections and trust the PERFECT will of CHRIST.

Our job today is to embrace our weaknesses and brokenness so GOD can take over!

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV)

…he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore…boast all the more gladly about (your) weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on (you).

Friends, today has the potential to be a amazing day for you.

Not because of you but because of GOD working in you! 

Grab His completeness with both hands

Grab His perfection and don’t let go.

Remain humble in your limitations and allow GOD to STREGTHEN, INSPIRE and DIRECT YOU!

AND…

“You will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside.”

― Oswald Chambers...

I love you ALL!

FREEDOM CHURCH (CHAMPIONS NETWORK)