Includes...
I used to have a baseball coach who was an excellent hitting instructor, and he would always teach that if the beginning and the end of the swing were in the correct place that everything in the middle would tend to workout. This is a Biblical principle, because Jesus is the beginning and the end. But Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 7:8 that the end of a thing is better than the beginning.
Finishing things is better than starting. Sometimes we are good at starting things but not so great at finishing them. But Jesus is the author and the finisher of our faith, and he can make us great finishers.
Today's communion is a time of gratitude that Jesus is the beginning and the end and the author and finisher of our faith. And we are asking for his help to be great finishers by looking unto him.
Today's Health/Fitness Tip
In workouts we often do finishers. I think of our Daily Communion Workout as having 3 sections... General fitness, weight...
Recently I have been meditating on Ephesians 6:8 which says, "knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive this back from the Lord, whether [he is] slave or free." The context of this verse is doing our work as if serving God rather than people.
This verse says.. We should KNOW that whatever good we do we will receive back from the Lord.
But, when do we receive it back from the Lord? Here are a few verses on the timing of when God does good.
God doesn't wait to give back to us, that would violate his Word.
Today's communion is a time of gratitude that whatever good we do we receive back from the Lord. And we are asking God for...
In July our message was Confidence Through Praise. For me personally this was probably one of the most impactful lessons we have done. Through praising God consistently and filling up the basket of praise we can grow more confident in our faith.
Through the month I began to implement a very simple routine of praising God both morning and evening. In the Old Testament temple David said he was given plans in writing from the hand of God for how everything was to run. Part of the plan was the Levites were to stand praising God both morning and evening.
This is something I started implementing for a few minutes in the morning and before bed. I would praise God for who he is, all that he has done for us in Christ, and all that he has done for me personally, including things I am believing for but haven't seen the answers show up yet.
Doing this consistently seemed to greatly increase my capacity to believe God and my confidence in him grew a lot. It...
Recently I have been thinking about a couple of scriptures that tell us to lay hold of what God has given us. Here are the scriptures:
Philippians 3:12 - Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
1 Timothy 6:12 - Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Today's communion is a time of gratitude that God has given us eternal life. In the original Greek language eternal life is "zoe," life, which is the life and vitality of God himself. And we are asking God to help us lay hold of "zoe," life and that which Jesus laid hold of us for.
Today's Health/Fitness Tip
It's important to remember that progress comes in waves, and waves have a top and bottom. There may be times when it seems like no...
Here is this week's Yearly Cycle Update.
Recently we had a Yearly Cycle reminder that God's favor surrounds us like a shield and is on us for a lifetime. His favor produces opportunities. This week is a reminder to be looking for opportunities to connect, help others, and be a blessing. Sometimes these opportunities come disguised as problems or difficult people. But these are opportunities to see God's grace flow. God is sending amazing opportunities every day, but we often miss them because we are too busy doing our own thing.
Here is this week's filter(reminder) to write at the top of our journals each day... Look for Opportunities.
I am praying for you.
Daniel
P.S. The Yearly Cycle Calendar for 2022 is down below.
P.P.S. The Connection Challenge starts next Tuesday. This is an opportunity to connect on a new level with God, our purpose, our loves ones, and the community around us.
1 John 4:16-18 says, "God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."
The other day I was in a discipline situation with one of my kids. She knew it was discipline time and so she was scared of me and was trying to hide. When I saw this happening, I knew I needed to make a change and approach the situation with gentleness because perfect love drives out fear, fear having to do with punishment.
Taking a different approach to the discipline turned it into a great time of connection, and a noticeable change in her.
God wants us to run to him instead of away from him, when we miss it, and it is perfect love that drives out fear. I have learned that it...
In my book "The 8th Date," there is a section at the very end of the book that talks about circles and shadows. To be honest this section of the book is something God taught me and contains some precise math, but I haven't fully understood how to walk in what he showed me yet.
But lately he keeps bringing the idea of circles back into mind because we have been talking about planning. An important part of planning is accounting for all of the variables. And when thinking of the variables I have found it's helpful to think of a circle surrounding the plan and looking for all the different areas that could be problematic.
When we completely wrap the circle, it means we have light shining from every angle and the shadows/blind spots are removed.
In today's communion we are asking God for help to understand this concept of wrapping areas and plans with circles and to help us walk in this consistently.
Today's Health/Fitness Tip
One of the...
Over the last couple of weeks, I feel like God is showing me that the most important thing he wants with our program the Abundant Life Blueprint is for it to be a thriving community of people. Thinking of community reminds me of doing science homework with my daughter a few years ago. She was learning about the difference between a population and a community. The science book said a population is when everything is the same... For example, a population of deer. But a community implies diversity and an entire ecosystem.
To me a community is a group of people working in unity toward a common vision, contributing their unique gifts, talents, and experiences to help one another and build something that can't be done in isolation. A healthy community makes our lives richer.
In Genesis 48:3-4 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me and said to me, ‘I am going to make you...
2 Corinthians 13:9 says, "We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is that you may be fully restored."
And 2 Corinthians 13:11 says, "Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you."
These verses are translated different ways such as strive or aim for completion, maturity, or full restoration.
Today's communion is a time of gratitude that there is fullness in Christ. And we are asking God for full restoration.
Today's Health/Fitness Tip
Our bodies have an amazing ability to be restored. It starts with believing restoration is possible, then take the first step you know to do. Start small, be patient, and watch it be restored over time.
I am praying for you.
Daniel
In Matthew 12:43-45 Jesus said, “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.
Lately we have talked about how to make sure we keep the gifts and answers to prayer God sends our way. In the scripture above, Jesus said that a person was set free, but then they ended up losing it and becoming worse off. The gifts and the call of God are irrevocable, meaning he won't take them away, but they can be stolen from us. Lately God has been teaching me about holding fast our confession and staying filled up. This means that when we keep remembering what he did by praising him for it, it...
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