Includes...
Sometimes on our journey with God, he will take us on the gentle path that curves around toward the target. For example, when he took the people to the promised land, he took them on a curved route rather than a straight line, because they would have had to fight a bunch of wars, they weren't ready for.
But other times on our journey with God there will be obstacles to overcome and giants we must defeat. God has also made us overcomers and more than conquerors, meaning we have some things to overcome.
I have been thinking about the duality of the path of least resistance. Sometimes the path of least resistance is the best path, but other times we must avoid taking the easy way out and be willing to embrace challenges.
In today's communion we are asking God to help us discern His path and the times when we are supposed to take the path of least resistance and the times when we have things to overcome.
Today's Health and Fitness Tip
...1 Peter 1:15-16 says... But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
This verse can seem a little daunting, which is why I think it's important to remember we don't become holy on our own... It is God who makes us holy and he has given us His Holy Spirit to make us holy
Leviticus 20:7-8 says... Be holy, because I am the LORD your God. 8 And you shall keep My statutes and practice them. I am the LORD who makes you holy.
Today's communion is a time of gratitude that God has given us the Holy Spirit and that he is makes us holy. And we are asking God to help us be holy in all we do as he is holy.
Today's Health and Fitness Tip
If something every is painful or restricted in your movement remember to ask the following question... What can I do? Many people do nothing when something hurts but I have found that if we will apply our faith by doing what we can do, it seems to...
In the Old Testament God often commanded the people to create memorials of their victories and the miraculous things he did for them so that they would remember and not forget. This month we asked God to help us develop a systematic way to record our journey and I believe memorials are part of this.
Memorials can serve as a source of encouragement when we get down and to help us teach future generations what God has done for us.
In today's communion we are asking God to help us understand the importance of memorials and consistently apply memorials into our life the way he intended.
Today's Health and Fitness Tip
Recording our journey with health and fitness is one of the most important things we can do for success. And in today's communion we are also asking God to help us create memorials to remember breakthroughs in our health and fitness.
I am praying for you.
Daniel
Romans 2:4 tells us that God's kindness is intended to lead us to repentance. In our minds we often think that criticism, getting back at people, and discipline leads to repentance but when someone really needs a change of heart it is kindness, goodness, and grace that leads to a change of heart.
Then once we are willing to change.... Discipline can help us get it right.
Today's communion is a time of gratitude for God's goodness and kindness that leads us to repentance. And we are asking for his help to understand his grace and goodness to us and to help us keep being kind and good to others when they wrong us so that it causes a change of heart in them as well.
Today's Health and Fitness Tip
Sometimes our bodies have stubborn areas that don't want to lose fat, gain muscle, or change and the tendency for most people is to try to force these areas to change, but I have found these areas respond better to a gentle approach.
I am praying...
Lately we have been talking about calling on the Lord. And this year we have also talked a lot about filling up the basket of praise. Something I feel like God has been showing me is a progression for how we fill up the basket of praise.
I think it starts with calling on the name of the Lord. He is love, light, our healer, our provider, more than enough, the God of all hope, the God of all peace, the God of all grace, and so much more. When we have a problem, we can start calling on the name of the Lord that aligns with whatever we are facing and praising him for who he is. For example, if we need help in our health, we can call upon the God who heals us. If we need help financially, we can call upon our provider who is more than enough. if we need help with a bad habit, we can call upon God who is our righteousness and the one who makes us holy.
Then we can start filling up the basket of praise for God's promises to us in Christ. For whatever...
Here is this week's Yearly Cycle Update.
This is a time of year when God likes to shift things around. Shifting has to do with positioning. He may reposition us because he wants to move us into a role that uses a higher level of our gifting. If we have grown a lot over this last year, he wants to move us into a higher level of what he has called us to do.
When things shift, it can seem scary because of the uncertainties, but the changes are needed to bring out our potential. God will often shift us into a role that requires a higher level of self-management paired with serving people on a higher level. It will take courage to step into a higher level of our gift, because it will require a higher level of transparency of who we really are. It will take courage to really give our gift to the world.
If you are a leader of people, this is a time to be seeking God, to make sure that all of your people are positioned properly....
Many people in the world view growing closer with God as isolating themselves from everything and getting still and quiet in a peaceful place. But recently I came across some Jewish teaching that had a much different perspective. Their goal was to go interact with the world and reveal God in the world... to reveal what he created things for. Their view is to reveal God in their marriage, parenting, health, business, ministry, finance, and every aspect of life. They want to reveal what God created everything for... its intended use.
As I was thinking about this Romans 8:18-21 came to mind. Here is the passage:
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation...
This month our focus has been on recording our journey and the goal is to develop a system for recording our journey that helps us stay on track consistently while also documenting the process. As I was thinking about this the word "simplify," kept coming to mind and while discussing this with some of our partners this week, the one thing that came up was seeking after God... or delighting in the Lord.
Psalm 37:4 says that if we delight ourselves in the Lord he will give us the desires of our heart.
In today's communion we are asking him to help us keep things simple, and to teach us to delight ourselves in Him.
Today's Health and Fitness Tip
Physical exercise should be a delight. It should be something we look forward to every day rather than something we dread.
I am praying for you.
Daniel
Lately I have been thinking about the authority of Jesus. He was gentle and gracious but in Matthew 7:28-29 it also says that the people were astonished at His teaching because he taught with authority. He wasn't timid because he taught with authority.
Recently my daughter had a soccer game and the referee for the game was a young kid who didn't have much experience as a ref and he wasn't using his authority. Because he was very timid and quiet the kids often didn't know what has happening.
In today's communion we are asking God to help us become more like Jesus by growing gentler and functioning in the authority we have in him.
Today's Health and Fitness Tip
Authority and confidence are very closely related. And when we are confident in our workouts it often leads to a surge in progress. We must grow from a place of being timid in our workouts to a place of confidence to really see progress.
I am praying for you.
Daniel
The concept of "Calling to God," kept standing out to me in Psalm 86 the other night.
In today's communion we are asking God to teach us about calling on him.
Here is Psalm 86 - A Prayer of David:
1 Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
2 Guard my life, for I am faithful to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God;
3 have mercy on me, Lord, for I call to you all day long.
4 Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you.
5 You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.
6 Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy.
7 When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.
9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.
10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.
11 Teach me...
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