"I Chose You"

Scripture: John 15:16
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

Observations:

Application:

This week, while we were at the beach, something really cool happened.  Jimmy, Clark, and I had gone out to dinner and while we were out, Jimmy and I got into an argument.  (That's not the cool part.)  I know what was happening… the enemy saw that things were going well on the trip and decided to attack where I wasn't expecting it… my marriage.  (I also must admit that he used me to do it… the argument was completely my fault.)  

But as we were driving home, the car overflowing with tension, Clark sat in the back seat coloring.  Suddenly, he looked up and said, "Dada, have you asked Jesus into your heart?"  Jimmy said that he had.  Then he asked, "Mommy, have you asked Jesus into your heart?"  I said I had too.  Then he asked, "What happens when you ask Jesus into your heart?"  We both explained to him that it means you ask Jesus to forgive your sin so that you get to live with Jesus in heaven forever and that he lives in your heart here on earth and is your friend and helps you each day.  Then he said, "Dada, will you show me the prayer to ask Jesus into my heart?"  And so Jimmy led him in that prayer.  And it was awesome!

He's a couple months short of five years old.  We know that he has a long way to go when it comes to fully understanding sin and grace.  But that same day the Bible Reading Plan included John 15:16-- "I chose you."  That moment of Clark accepting that Jesus has chosen him made it abundantly clear that our salvation-- the timing, the means, everything-- is completely in God's control.  That tug on Clark's little heart came out of no where.  The enemy thought he was winning in the car at that moment and that's the moment God chose to win the ultimate victory with Clark.  He wins!  Every time!  

A couple months ago, Pastor Chris asked us to write down our "Ten Most Wanted" and pray for their salvation.  Clark was my #1.  And God is faithful!  

Prayer:

Dear Lord, you are awesome!  Thank you so much for working on Clark's heart!  I am so thankful that you are in control and that your timing is perfect.  I pray that little prayer that Clark prayed would be the beginning of an awesome life-long journey of knowing and loving you.  I pray that you would do amazing works through him.  In Jesus' name!  Amen!

Student Summer Growth Plan

Today, everything changes.  It's summertime!  Suddenly, most of us have quite a bit more control over our days.  We get to sleep in a little bit.  We have some time that we can spend however we want.  

Read the scripture above, especially the highlighted portions.  A couple summers ago, I read Pastor Chris's book, The Plan of Your Life.  That is when I started setting goals for my quiet time and spiritual growth.  And that is when everything changed for me.  Summer is the PERFECT time to start new habits in your spiritual life.  Below is a template to help you write a summer growth plan.  (Click the picture for a printable version.)

Additionally, if you would like to see more detail about how I structure my quiet time, see this blog post:  Interacting with God's Word.

And, if you would like to learn how to use the Blue Letter Bible to understand the shades of meaning within scripture much better, check out this post: Fruit: Praises Offered as a Thank Offering.

I challenge you… don't let the weekend go by without writing down your plan.  It's too easy to get wrapped up in summer and neglect this.  It is so important though.  It has changed my life.  A discipline that began in summer has carried on for two years now almost every morning.  You don't want to miss what God has for you if you'll just set aside a time to meet with him each day!

Prayer:

Dear Lord, you are amazing!  We want to know you so much better this summer.  Please meet with us and show us more about you.  God, I pray this would be a summer of unbelievable personal spiritual growth for our FpStudents!  In Jesus' name!  Amen!

Filter Pressure

Scripture: John 12: 42-43
Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved human praise more than praise from God.

Observations:

Application:
This passage was in today's Fp Bible Plan.  It first stood out to me because of the last sentence.  Yikes! What an ugly accusation… but one that I fear in true of me all too often.

As I thought more about this, something that happened yesterday came to mind.  One of my Facebook friends posted a question about why some "religious people" do a certain thing.  It wasn't a religious practice that I was familiar with but I commented and started following the discussion.  It turns out, the practice he was referring to was a tradition of devout Jews.  I learned something new from this discussion.

But later I got to thinking… Would I have posted that same question?  Probably not.  Because I would have been afraid of looking silly… or ignorant… or irreverent… or whatever.  But to whom?  Not to unbelievers.  They wouldn't judge me for trying to learn more information about something I don't know.  In fact, I would say that both atheist and agnostic people generally tend to celebrate inquiry and curiosity.  No.  It would be other believers that I would be afraid would judge me for asking a question like that.

Eek!  Another mask… Another filter.  Let me first focus on my issue here before I turn this on the faith community as a whole.  Above John describes two tactics Satan uses to keep the Jews from openly acknowledging their faith: fear and pride.  He uses these same two tactics on me.  So often, I'm afraid to reveal my true self.  I hide behind my mask.  Fear holds me back.  And so often, I am motivated by the praise of people instead of the praise of God.  Pride has a grip.  Fear + pride = insecurity.  And insecurity is exactly what holds me back so often.

In his grace, the Lord is answering my prayer to reveal my filters.  And so I pray this morning that He would begin to remove these.

Now there's this other issue here… If I am afraid I might be judged by these "religious people" (as my FB friend calls us), how must we make nonbelievers feel?  Surely they don't want to be a part of a group that is so judgmental.  I realize I'm speaking in sweeping generalities here.  I personally feel within my own church that I can ask anything.  We are a no holds barred, talk about everything, raw and real kind of church.  And I know of quite a few other churches in my community that are the same way.  But we (the whole church) have got centuries of history of asking people to put on masks working against us.  And we've still got lots of church bodies who don't allow people to ask questions or talk about hard things.

I want to be a Christ-follower who doesn't pressure other people to filter themselves.  Because Christ didn't ask them to.

Prayer:
Lord, you are amazing!  Thank you so much for revealing more truth to me this morning!  Thank you for continuing to show me the masks that I've been wearing.  Peal those away, Lord.  Let me be real.  God, I also pray that you would make me into someone who doesn't pressure other people to wear a mask.  Help me to be loving and accepting and bring out the realness in people… not the religious filter. In Jesus' name!  Amen!

Love with No Filter

Scripture: Romans 12: 9-12
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Observations:

Application:

This whole passage is full of applications, full of commands.  But the first sentence is the rationale for the rest of the passage.  Love must be sincere.  Love must be undisguised.  Love must have no filter.  And in order to show sincere love, we are called to do all of these other things…

• Cement ourselves to what is good.
• Show mutual love for each other… the kind of love that parents and their children have for each other.
• Rank other people above ourselves in importance.
• Keep our spiritual temperature at a boil.
• Serve.
• Rejoice with expectation of good.
• Persevere through stress.
• Be devoted to prayer.

These are the ways we love with no filter.  This is what true, sincere love looks like.  It seems impossible, doesn't it?  To be that devoted and selfless and fervent and hopeful?  Again, I'm so tempted to put on my "Jesus girl" mask here to accomplish these things.  I could probably fake most bullet points on that list, at least for a while.  But that first sentence-- love must be sincere-- reminds me that all this is impossible when I try to do it on my own.  True, sincere love comes from Christ in me.  The only way I can truly love like that is to let the love of the Lord overflow from me.  Because his love is relentless and sacrificial and passionate and sincere.  

Prayer:

Lord, you are awesome!  I praise you for who you are!  Jesus, thank you so much for showing me what sincere, unfiltered love looks like.  Help me to love like that.  I know I can only do that as a result of your love in me.  So overflow me with your love, Lord, that I love others that way.  In Jesus' name!  Amen!

Confident in this...

Godfidence Prep

Getting ready for tonight by reading an article called "Can We Trust the Bible?"  If you are still struggling with the Bible's reliability, check it out.

The Heart

Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:7
The Lord does not look at the things people look at.  People looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

Observations:

Application:
Yesterday, the Lord showed me how "filtered" I really am.  I realized that I don't even know exactly where my filter stops and my real self begins.  I asked the Lord to start pealing away the filters and making me more real.  And that's my prayer again this morning.  I pray that He just continues to work on my heart.

Reading this verse this morning, I was reminded that God knows exactly what my real self looks like.  He looks at me and sees my heart… with no filter.  But that begs the question, "What do you see when you look at my heart, God?"  I need the filters removed from my own eyes.  I need to see myself as the Lord sees me.  David prayed in Psalm 51:10, "Create in my a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."  It is God who works on the heart.  When I try to clean myself up, I end up with a clean filter, not a clean heart.

I honestly don't think the Lord is showing me anything ground-breaking or new this morning because I just need to keep resting in him, letting him clean up my heart, letting him remove my filters.  I don't have a lot to say because I need to listen… which, filters down, I am terrible at!

Prayer:
Lord, you are awesome!  I want a heart that is fully set on you.  Clean me up, Lord.  Continue to strip away filters.  Help me to listen…

In Jesus' name…
Amen

My Filters

Scripture: 1 Peter 3: 3-5

Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.  For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves.

Observations:

Application:

Yesterday at Faith Promise, we started a series called #NoFilter.  Pastor Zac talked about being real with God.  He said, "God cannot bless who you pretend to be.  He cannot anoint your avatar.  He cannot sanctify your selfie.  He cannot minister to your mask."  I can see where we're going with this series.  I'm sure we'll get to the point where we talk about how God cannot use us to reach others when we aren't being authentic.  See, this is something the Lord has been trying to teach me for a long time.  At the beginning of the year, when Pastor Chris asked us to pray about a word for the year, the Lord gave me the word "authentic."  

I have a filter problem.  I'm constantly "adorning" myself with whatever filter I feel like will be accepted in a given situation.  This verse talks about adorning yourself with braids and jewelry and dresses, but I definitely hide behind other filters.  

And none of these filters allow the real version of me to show completely.  In fact, being completely honest, I'm not exactly sure what that person looks like.  I've been filtering so long that I'm a little unsure what's authentic and what's not.  

I was surprised to find that the word "adornment" in this verse is translated as "kosmos."  Remember that word from the "Fun House" series?  (The whole world (kosmos) is under the control of the evil one. 1 John 5:19).  This "adornment," this filter, this made-up version of me, is of the world.  It's defined by worldly affairs.  It's not God's intended version of me.

It's scary to pray that God strips away the layers of masks and filters because I'm not sure what I'll find underneath.  I hope I find a woman with "the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit."  That seems almost laughable because that's such a different picture than the person I feel like I am.  But if there's one thing I've learned is that one of the hardest parts of believing God is believing that I am who he says I am.  So I'm going to trust that woman exists somewhere within me.  

And as I said before, I know where this series is going.  And when we get to that part about letting God use the real me for his glory, I want the real me to be ready.  So, as scary as it is, this morning I pray…

Prayer:

Lord, you are amazing!  I can trust you.  And so this morning I am trusting you in revealing the person you made me to be.  God, please peal away the layers of filters I've put on myself to try to impress or satisfy other people.  I know you cannot bless who I pretend to be.  And I want your blessing, Lord.  I also know that my filters are getting in the way of the full potential you created me for in glorifying you.  Let me be real.  Let me be authentic.  In Jesus' name!  Amen!

Confident in this...

"Speaking the Truth in Love"

Scripture: Ephesians 4:15
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

Observations:

Application:

The phrase "speaking the truth in love" came to mind this morning as I was reading the Fp Bible Plan in John 8:42-47.  A few week's ago, I wrote a post called "Full of Grace and Truth," based on an Andy Stanley message.  Before hearing that message a Jesus monologue like this one in John 8 used to make me really uncomfortable.  

I've always seen everything from an "EITHER grace OR truth" perspective.  Clark does something wrong and I EITHER punish him for it OR let him off the hook.  A friend says something hurtful and I EITHER forgive her OR I call her out.  Even those "controversial issues" that our society has decided to lift up as "big sins" and debate as if they were theoretical issues instead of real people's lives we're talking about… I always saw them as EITHER I can support those people with grace OR reject them with truth.  

This message helped me realize that Jesus is BOTH 100%, full-to-the-brim, complete grace AND 100%, full-to-the-brim, complete truth.  And I want to be like Jesus.  But I am really struggling to learn how to be "full of grace and truth."  I am really struggling to speak and live in such a way that I present truth while offering no condemnation.  

As I wrote that last sentence, the phrase, "Who's story are you telling?" popped into my head as clearly as I have ever heard anything from the Lord.  If I am truly telling Jesus' story, it is already FULL of grace AND truth.  If I am struggling to "spin it," there's a bigger problem.  The TRUTH of Jesus is so GRACE-filled, that it dazzles people all on its own.  

If I lean too hard into truth, I'm like the Pharisees, trying to hold everyone accountable to a bunch of rules.  If I lean too hard into grace, I look at passages like this one in John 8 and am offended by Jesus's bluntness.  And if I try to find a balance between the two, I end up seesawing between them in confusion that is hard for me to understand, much less those who I am witnessing to.  No, Jesus isn't a balance of grace and truth.  He is the full embodiment of both.  

So that brings me back to "speaking the truth in love."  In Ephesians 4:14, Paul is warning the church that they keep getting jerked around and deceived by people trying to share different philosophies because they are immature Christ followers, all trying to work in their own power.  He then tells them that the solution to this, the remedy that is going to bring about their maturity, is speaking the truth in love.  He didn't say, "Either speak the truth or love."  He also didn't say, "Speak both the truth and love."  He said, "Speak the truth in love."  In other words, "Let your words be fully truth and fully love at the same time."  Speak like Jesus.  Who's story are you telling?

Prayer:

Dear God, you are so awesome!  This isn't at all the direction I expected to go when I started looking at this verse.  But you took me where you wanted me to go.  And I love that so much.  Lord, I pray that you would pour your full grace and full truth into me so that it flows out of me in full measure.  Help me to stop trying to spin your story but to let you tell it through me.  In Jesus' name I pray! Amen!

Confident in this…

Miranda

Fruit: Praises Offered as a Thank Offering

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

This past weekend at Fuel, we learned how to use the Blue Letter Bible to look up the origins of words and the complexity of their truth translations.  Matt explained how English is such an overly simplified language in comparison to Greek or Hebrew and therefore when we read our Bible we do not always see the shades of meaning behind each word that is written.  For those that weren't there, or those that need a reminder.  Here's how you do it.

• Go to BlueLetterBible.org.
• At the very top where it says "Search the Bible," type in the scripture reference (book/ chapter/ verse) and change the version from KJV to whatever you read.  (I like NIV.)
• When the verse appears, click on the scripture reference and a chart will appear.
• Next to the word you want to see defined, click the code in the "Strong's" column (looks like a letter followed by a bunch of numbers.)  Then you will see the full definition for each word.

Today, I used this tool to try to get a better grasp on the fruit of the spirit… and I'm so glad I did.  

Word	Observations	Application
Fruit	Can mean an effect or result of, but can also mean praises offered as a thank offering	Whoa!  Remember the “halal” life (abundant life over-flowing with praise) that Pastor Chris talked about on Sunday?  These qualities or “fruit” are not only evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in our life, they are our lifesong… our praise to God!
Spirit	The Holy Spirit	The Holy Spirit is the source of all these things.  We can’t make ourselves be them.  They are his work in us.
Love	Goodwill, brotherly love	This kind of loving means looking out for others in a selfless way… Wanting good for them above yourself.  I sure do spend a lot of time looking out for my own good.
Joy	Gladness	This is more than just feeling happy.  This is the eternal gladness.  The ability to say, “No matter what is going on, God is good.”
Peace	The tranquility of a soul assured of salvation	Peace is saying, “Whatever happens here on earth, I know where I’m going.  I can handle whatever suffering may come with the assurance that I’ll be spending eternity in the presence of God.”
Patience	Endurance, perseverance	Again, during the hard times, we hang on.  We know that God is our strength and he will sustain us through it.
Kindness	Integrity	This definition surprised me.  This word kindness means more than being nice to someone.  It means having integrity, which we teach our kiddos means “doing the right thing even when no one is watching.”
Goodness	Righteousness of heart and life	Not only must we have good intentions but we have to live them out.  1 Corinthians 4:20 says, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.”
Faithfulness	Conviction of the truth, belief	We’ve talked a lot about faith lately in our Godfidence series.  But I had never really thought of my faith as a praise of thanksgiving (fruit) to God.
Gentleness	Mildness of disposition	Ugh!  I’m so bad at being mild in disposition.  I admire women who are soft-spoken and gentle.  But I have a smart mouth.
Self-Control	The virtue of one who masters her desires or passions	During the Deliverance message of our Four Cups series, Pastor Chris talked about the fact that we are three-in-one also (made in God’s image).  We are a combination of body, soul, and spirit.  If we let the body take control, we will be slave to our desires and passions.  If we let the soul take control, we will be captive by our emotions.  But if we let our spirit take control, we are surrendering over to God’s will for our lives.  So really, self-control, means surrendering to the spirit.

Prayer:

Lord, you are so amazing!  And I so badly want this fruit in my life because I want my life to be filled with praises offered as a thank offering to you.  But I know that the only source of this fruit is your Holy Spirit.  So Lord, please fill me with more of the Spirit.  Help me to mature in each of these areas.  Make me more complete, God.  It's in Jesus' name I pray!  Amen!

Confident in this…

Miranda

Take My Word for It

Scripture: John 8:13-20

The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”  Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going.  You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one.  But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.  In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true.  I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”  Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”  “You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”  He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.

Observations:
This passage from today's Bible Reading Plan just reminded me so much of many of the conversations my group had last night.  First of all, the whole series was originally branded as a series that would help us feel more confident as we share the truths of Christ with others.  However, it has turned into trying to prove the validity of what we believe to ourselves.  Some of us had never questioned before.  And many of us, such as myself, had.  But as we have wrestled through these conversations over the past few weeks, most of us have gone away, not with a renewed confidence but with a list of new questions that we want answers to.

Matt said something last night at the beginning of his sermon that was profound.  He said, "I'm about to give you three pieces of hard evidence that Jesus died and rose from the grave, but I don't need evidence.  I believe because Jesus said he did."  That right there is where our true Godfidence is going to come from.  I understand the need for proof.  I have that same desire… for everything to make sense… or everything to be backed up with evidence… for my mind to be able to wrap around it all.  But in this verse, Jesus says, "Just take my word for."  And the harder we lean into his word, the more Godfident we are going to feel.

Application:
Last night, one of my girls in particular was asking so many questions.  They were great questions and she truly wanted to understand.  She was seeking the Lord hard in that moment.  Eventually she said, "I think I just need to read the Bible for myself more.  I think I would understand better."  Bingo!  This passage says, "If you knew me, you would know my Father also."  So instead of continuing to focus on looking for hard evidence to try to prove Jesus's testimony, let's get to know Jesus.  The more we know him the more we will trust in him.  Because he is trustworthy.

In the next week, if you don't already have one, get a plan together for your quiet times during the summer.  If you don't plan for it, it won't happen.

• What are you going to study?  (Go ahead and identify enough material to get you through the summer and decide how you're going to break it up.)
• A devotional book?
• A U Version plan?
• A certain book of the Bible?
• How much time are you going to spend in prayer?
• Where and when are you going to have your quiet time each day?

Some else mentioned last night that they wouldn't have to worry about studying the Word because she's going to camp this summer and would be in daily small groups.  My response was, "I'm constantly being taught by Pastor Chris, and Pastor Matt, and Jayson, and my adult small group, but still I get up each morning and spend time with the Lord for myself."  If we're really, truly going to get to know Jesus, we have to pursue that relationship for ourselves.  That's kind of like saying, "Yeah, I don't ever spend time with my bestie but we have a lot of mutual friends that we both see a lot so I get to hear what's going on in her life."  Wouldn't you respond with, "Are you really best friends if you never spend time together?"

Get to know Him for yourself.  He's so awesome!

Prayer:
Lord, I praise you for who you are!  You are so awesome and your ways are so great that I can barely begin to understand them.  But God, I trust that what you say is true.  Thank you for bringing me into a relationship with you.  Thank you for all that you've shown me about yourself over the past few years.  Lord, I pray that my girls would start pursuing you too.  I pray that they would just really make a plan and stick to it.  I pray that you would be their highest priority this summer.  In Jesus' name!  Amen!

Confident in this…
Miranda

Unbelievably Believable

FpStudents,

I spent this morning listening to this message in preparation for tonight: Unbelievably Believable.

Check it out!  See you tonight!!!

Miranda

"God's Deliberate Plan"

Scripture:  Acts 2:23-24
This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Observation:  

This week in FpStudents we are going to be talking about evidence that Jesus was in fact killed, he was in fact buried, and that he did come back from the dead and appear to many people.  To me, this verse helps me understand that whole crazy concept better because this verse clearly states one very important truth: God was in control all along.  This whole plan was God's!

God did not send Jesus because he was tired of watching us fail at upholding the law.  He knew we couldn't uphold it when he gave it to us.  But he knew it would point us to the need for a savior that he was ALREADY PLANNING to send.  God did not surrender Jesus over to wicked people because he was exhausted from fighting against them.  He did run out of energy to protect him.  He handed him over on purpose… because he was ALREADY PLANNING the cross.  God not only allowed all that to happen but HE PLANNED IT-- knowing that after all that suffering, he would be victorious.  And he would have made a perfect way for his children that he loves to spend eternity with him.

Application: 

Another one of the hard questions that has come up during the Godfidence series is, "If God is all powerful, why couldn't he just make sin go away?  Why did he have to go to all the trouble of the cross to defeat it?"  That is such a hard question.  And though I'm going to try my best to explain it, it's one of those things where no answer really ever seems like enough.  God's ways are so far above our ways (Isaiah 55:9) that I'm not sure we'll ever completely have a grip on it.

Think about this… Would you rather marry someone for love (because you chose them and they chose you) or in an arranged marriage where neither of you had any choice?  Most of us would choose to marry for love.  Although it is a way over-simplified analogy, this is kind of what it's like with God.  He wants to be chosen too.  He could have created us with no choice but to love him, but would that really be love?  No.  That would be obligation.  That would be meaningless.  God gave us choice so that we can choose to love him.

And then he came up with this perfect plan.  He created the earth and mankind and then gave us a choice.  And we chose life apart from him.  We chose to go our own way.  We chose to sin.  He let us do this, not because he had no power to stop it, but because he was making a way for us to choose to be with him forever.  We were given the option to sin here on earth because God wanted us to understand the choice we made.  He wanted us to know the full consequences of sin.  And then he wants us to choose him.  Because through Jesus, he made a way for us to choose him for eternity.  

When Jesus comes back, we're starting all over.  According to Revelation 21, God will create this brand new heaven and earth and then everyone who will be spending eternity with him there will have chosen him.  They will have had the choice… they will know the consequences of sin… they will have experienced the amazing love of Jesus… and they will have chosen eternity with him!  

In John 6:39-40 Jesus said, "And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose NONE of ALL those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.  For my Father’s will is that EVERYONE who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day."  God's desire is for every single one of the people he created to choose him… to spend eternity with him.  But when we live with him in that perfect eternity, its not going to be because he forced us.  It's going to be because we love him.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, you are amazing!  Thank you so much for making a way for me to spend eternity with you.  This is all so hard for me to wrap my brain around.  But I pray that even though I can't completely comprehend it with my brain, I would allow it to transform my heart.  Give me more and more faith, Lord.  Help me to trust in your plan.  In Jesus' name!  Amen!

Confident in this…

Miranda

Tell Your Story

Scripture:  Psalm 107:2
Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story-- Those He redeemed from the hand of the foe.

Observations:
Redeemed… I've learned so much about this word in the past month or so.  Last week, Pastor Chris talked about its meaning as "to buy back or restore to its original purpose."  We are God's to begin with but because the world is under the control of the enemy, we sin.  But God loves us so much that even though we were his to begin with, and even though we chose sides against him, he made a way to buy us back-- the life of his only Son.  PC also talked about the fact that we were created in God's image and as soon as we claim salvation, the Lord restores us back to our original purpose.  What is that purpose?  One purpose: God's glory.

Then yesterday, we learned more about our true purpose, the ultimate in fulfillment, living out God's will for our lives.  We learned the Greek word "halal" which means "to praise."  But it means even more than that.  It means "to shine of God's favor; to be clear; to be brilliant."  I want a "halal life," don't you?  I want purpose like that.

This Psalm tells us one of the ways we can do that.  Tell your story-- the story of how you were redeemed-- the story of how the Lord bought you back-- the story of how you were restored to your original intent.

Applications:
This weekend at Fuel Retreat, we took a spiritual growth inventory.  Almost everyone I talked to about it said that their weakest area was witnessing to nonbelievers-- myself included.  During our one-on-ones a couple of different girls said to me, "I'm just not sure what my testimony is."  Well this verse tells us that we are called to tell that story.  That is a huge part of the "halal life."  So we've got to get that story ready.

This story takes different forms… Sometimes it's your salvation story that people need to hear.  They need to see the drastic change in your life from before you knew Christ until now.  Other times, they need to hear the story of a struggle that He delivered you from-- an addiction, a behavior, guilt.  Then other times, they just need to hear what's going on in your daily life… what the Lord is doing to sustain or to use you.

If you are a Christ-follower, you have a story.  You've got to be prepared to tell it!  That is how we will "shine of God's favor."  That's how we live that life of praise-- the "halal life."

So my challenge to you, especially to those of you who spent the weekend with us at Fuel Retreat, but to all my Christ-following friends, is to write down your story.  Practice telling it to your inner circle.  Then when you have an opportunity to share it with non-believers, you'll be ready.

Prayer:
Lord, you are amazing!  I thank you so much for the way you weave together what I'm learning during my quiet time, and at church, and with the students.  I am so thankful for all the ways that you speak into my life.  Lord, help me to be ready to tell my story.  Help me not to make excuses for not being ready to tell it.  Remove those obstacles that we talked about this weekend… distractions, indifference, poor planning.  I want to live the "halal life."  I want to shine for you.  Lord, I pray for the guys and girls who went to Fuel this past weekend.  I pray that they would continue the growth plan they started this weekend.  I pray that you would help them to carve out that time to spend with you.  I pray they would surround themselves with people who hold them accountable and speak truth into their lives.  I pray they would follow through with ministry to others.  And I pray that they would get their story ready to tell to anyone they come across.  In Jesus' name!  Amen!

Confident in this…
Miranda

"I Chose You"

Scripture: John 15:16
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

Observations:
This is a verse that I look at a couple of months ago but with Pastor Chris talking about using our gifts this past weekend and then plans to do a spiritual gifts inventory this weekend at Fuel, I wanted to look at it again.  So often, we act like serving is optional.  And because of that, we opt out.  We keep making excuses such as, "I'll do it when I grow a little more... I don't think I'm quite ready spiritual to lead other people yet…  I've got so much going on right now… I probably wouldn't be effective anyway."

"I chose you"- Missions are our mandate!  Reaching lost people is the reason we are here.  It's not something that we can just opt out of.

"And appointed you"- God ordained you for work that only you can do.  If you aren't doing it, it's not getting done.

"Go and bear fruit"- If you refer back to verse 5 you see that the only source of power to bear fruit is the vine.  We cannot do it on our own power.  So if you are saying, "I'm not quite strong enough to serve," well of course you're not.  None of us is.  But God is strong enough to give you what you need.

"Fruit that will last"- Want your life to be used for something that really matters?  Let the Lord use it to make an eternal impact!

"Whatever you ask in my name"- There is power in the name of Jesus!  But I think sometimes we are afraid to ask.  I know I am.  And a lot of times it's because I'm afraid of where he might send me.  But I've learned, he's sending me anyways.  Just like with Jonah, the Lord will have his way when it comes to our mission.  And we can decide whether its going to take a big fish get us to to Nineveh or if we are going to go there directly.

Reflections:
A few months ago when I looked at this verse, I wrote this question:

What do you learn from stepping out and doing something that you are called to but completely unequipped to do by your own strength?

Since then, the Lord has answered this question over and over.  I'm learning to take a scary step out of a limb when God calls me out there.  I'm learning to pray over things instead of trying to do them in my own power.

Sometimes I've learned that by looking at the size of the mission and then saying, "I can't but you can!"

Other times, I've learned it by trying to do it myself and the realizing I'm in way to deep and had to back up and say, "Lord, I'm sorry I tried to do it on my own.  Help me here!"

Probably the hardest mission for me to follow through on is when the Lord says, "Stop and pray with her."  It's so scary to do that!  No matter how many times I do it, it still makes my heart race and makes me shake.  When someone at work is worked up over family problems… even when someone from my small group calls in crisis… praying out loud with that person seems so intimate and scary and outside of my comfort zone.  But I know it is the best response in those situations.  And I know the Lord empowers me with all I need in order to do that.  And that he uses that for his glory.

And I have one purpose: God's glory.

Prayer:
Dear God, you are awesome!  I can hardly believe that you chose me.  But thank you for choosing me while I am still sinful.  I thank you for using me to do way more than I could possibly ever do myself.  God, help me to work in your power, not my own.  Help me to make a difference for you.  Help me to remember that my only purpose is your glory.  In Jesus' name!  Amen!

Confident in this…
Miranda

One Purpose: God's Glory

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:8-11
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Observations:
This passage jumped out at me this morning because of the way it speaks to us in situations were people are struggling be united in purpose.  With it being the end of the year, everybody is tired right now.  Everybody is ready for summer.  Everybody is feeling just a little overwhelmed by tests and projects and making plans.  And everyone is just a little on edge.

But this passage says that there is one bandage that take care of all that grumbling and frustration that seems to infiltrate every relationship this time of year: love.  What if we all refocused on loving each other?  What if every one of us decided to fully use whatever gift God has given us to love and serve others?  This passage reminds us that the grace, truth, and strength we need in order to do this are already within us.  And if we are going to be "faithful stewards of God's grace," then we have some gifts to start giving.

Application:
The way this passage ends reminds me of a very important phrase that God has replayed in my mind over and over since I first heard it 12 years ago.  One Purpose: God's Glory.  The summer that I worked at Young Life camp, that phrase was the theme of our work crew.  It was our measuring stick for every decision we made.  It was the glue that kept us from scattering in 50 selfish directions when we were tired.  We were all committed to that one purpose.  There were days where we literally had to tattoo it on ourselves (and under the bills of our mesh trucker hats-- thank you, 2003!) with Sharpies to remind us what our purpose was.  But because we all agreed on that purpose, we were able to love each other deeply, offer hospitality to campers, show grace, speak truth, and serve with strength that we ourselves didn't have.  And the result was that God was glorified.

So this morning, I'm writing this on my hand with a fat permanent marker again because I need a constant reminder today of what my purpose is.

With my family, I have one purpose: God's glory.
On these stressful/ test-full days at school, one purpose: God's glory.
FpStudent Leaders, no matter what, we have one purpose: God's glory.
Students, this weekend whether you are at Fuel or at a party, one purpose: God's glory.
In my thought life, I should have one purpose: God's glory.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, you are so good.  Thank you for your infinite grace.  Thank you that when my thought life is just flooded with stress and negativity and exhaustion, you show up and remind me that you give me enough grace and enough truth and enough strength to fulfill your good purpose for me: Your glory.  Thank you so much for being enough.  Lord, help me to love deeply.  Help me to be wholly motivated by that one purpose: Your glory.  Keep that on the forefront of my mind today.  In Jesus' name!  Amen!

Confident in this…
Miranda

"See To It"

Scripture:  Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy which depends on human tradition and the elementary spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

Observations:
I am studying this verse today to get prepared for another "Godfidence" talk tonight.  It starts by saying "see to it"… not "try to make sure"… not "you ought to try".  It's a command… "make sure!"  Then it goes on to say "that no one takes you captive."  Science and history and philosophy that people use to try to disprove faith can literally hold you captive… they can enslave you… they can keep you from experiencing the freedom of living in Jesus Christ.  As I wrote about in my testimony post a few days ago, I've been held captive by doubt before.  And that is exactly what it felt like… like I was trapped in some sort of snare of darkness that I couldn't get out of as much as I squirmed.  But if you read it, you also know that ended up being exactly what was happening.  The enemy was wrestling for control of me.  But as soon as I stopped trying to fight him myself… as soon as I acknowledged the Lord, he started to rescue me from that captivity.  This imagery just makes so much sense to me.

Next it talks about "hollow and deceptive philosophy."  Do you know what philosophy means?  It literally is translated as "the love or pursuit of knowledge."  That doesn't sound like a bad thing, does it?  But the love or pursuit of anything above the love and pursuit of Jesus is a problem.  Knowledge can become an idol.  And we have to be careful that we don't so idolize knowledge that there is no room for faith.  We have to be careful not to focus so much on rationalizing and defending that we forget that believing is primary.

And then comes the part that about makes my skin crawl now… "human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world."  Pastor Chris warned us about this world… this "kosmos," during the Open House series.  1 John 5:19 says, "We know that we are children of God, and the whole world (kosmos) is under the power of the evil one."  What we're talking about here is the lies that the devil has woven together (and that we've passed down) throughout the history of mankind.  He uses these to keep us captive to darkness.  He is still using these to keep our friends from experiencing life.

He's good.  But Christ is better.  In John 16:33, Jesus tells us, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Application:
I pray that tonight as students share their doubts in small group, that the devil would have NO POWER to use those comments to trap other people.  But instead, my hope is that we would all just be able to focus our eyes on Christ.  We've got to keep him at the center of every one of these conversations.  Some people may need to see the hard evidence that the Bible is true, but when it comes right down to it, the Lord is the one who changes hearts.

So my application of today's verse is just to pray...

Prayer:
Dear God, this morning, I'm just praying protection over my guys and girls that have a strong faith.  I'm praying for Your power to move in the hearts of those who have been captive to doubt.  I'm praying for the leaders to just be so filled with the Holy Spirit that every answer they give is from You.  I'm praying against my own tendency toward idolizing knowledge.  God, I pray that tonight's FpStudents would bring an undeniable move of the Holy Spirit.  Help us all to feel your presence and protection and power.  In Jesus' name!  Amen!

Confident in this…
Miranda

Fuel Prayer

This morning I didn't do my full SOAP study.  Instead, I spent my quiet time praying, especially praying this scripture over our FpStudents.  Guys and girls, this right here is what your leaders want for you so badly!  And I'm especially praying that this weekend at Fuel, you feel the desire to seek this in a new way.  Love you guys!

Glass Completely Full

Scripture: John 3:30
He must become greater; I must become less.

Observations:

This verse was part of today's Fp Bible Plan.  It comes when Jesus shows up and the people ask John the Baptist if he's upset that Jesus seems to be drawing all of his followers away.  John the Baptist responds with this statement: "He must become greater; I must become less."  He knew all along that his purpose was to prepare the way for Jesus.  He was a walking billboard that pointed people towards the Lord through his every action.

I looked up the meaning of these verbs that are translated as "become greater" and "become less."  "Become greater" was exactly what I expected it to be: increase, to make grow, the enlarge.  But the translation for "become less" surprised me a little-- to lessen in rank or influence-- as in to demote, downgrade, relegate.  Someone who used to be in a position of power and is now in a position of service.  These are all words that describe what we are called to do in order to make room for Jesus to be greater in our lives.

Application:

Yesterday, my adult small group had a funny discussion on the whole "glass half full/ half empty" concept.  Last night, I found this picture on Pinterest and texted it to my group:

Image from: www.danoah.com

This morning as I was thinking about this verse, this image came back into my mind.  Technically, we are always full of something too.  We are either full of ourselves, or we are full of Jesus.  And in order to fit more Jesus in, we have to empty ourselves out.  

Now, here's the problem that I'm guilty of.  You know when you buy a bag of potato chips and you really get half a bag of air?  The label says potato chips but that's only half true of what's inside.  I'm afraid I do the same type of advertising with my Jesus fullness.  I slap a label on myself that says, "Jesus Girl" but still I'm not full of Jesus.  I have too much of myself still taking up space within me.  And therefore, I end up with this inauthentic version of who God created me to be.  

I was created to BE full to the brim with Jesus.  I was not created to just LOOK full of Jesus on the outside.  Putting on a show isn't going to cut it.  I MUST become less so that He can become GREATER within me.  I have to EMPTY myself out so that he can FILL me.  I have to be DEMOTED to servant so that he can be PROMOTED to complete control over my life.  I can't just say I'm for him… I have to be full of him!

Prayer:

Dear Lord, you are so awesome! You are worthy of being the greatest in my life.  Lord, help me to empty myself out so that I can be full of you.  I don't want to just look like I'm yours.  I want to be completely yours in an authentic way.  I want to point people to you with every aspect of my life.  Lord, I know that is only by really emptying myself that I can show who you are to other people.  In Jesus' name!  Amen!

Confident in this…

Miranda

Interacting With God's Word

For a long time, I really wanted to have a meaningful, productive quiet time but didn't really know what that would look like.  In the summer of 2013, I read Pastor Chris' book The Plan For Your Life which really helped me to understand the components of a quiet time.  Over time, I've figured out what works for me when it comes to having time with the Lord, although it's constantly evolving as I learn ways to interact with God's word.  However, I can absolutely say that the Lord has brought be to a place where I truly look forward to my time with Him.  So this morning I am going to share my process in case anyone else is looking for direction on what a quiet time looks like.

When?
For me, first thing in the morning is best for two reasons.  #1- If it doesn't happen first thing in the morning, the day gets busy and the time I have set aside gets crowded out.  #2- The things that I learn in the morning have the power to impact my entire day.  I can so often apply what I've learned immediately.

Getting up in the morning isn't easy for me.  Once I'm out of bed and have some coffee I'm ok but I don't just love waking up.  However, a few months ago during one of our church-wide fasts, I fasted the snooze button.  I use my phone as an alarm so I just turned of the snooze option.  So I had to get up as soon as my alarm went off or I would likely fall back to sleep and be late.  My quiet times during that month were so amazing that I've never gone back to the snooze.  Before, I would hit snooze a couple of times and end up eating into the time I could be spending with the Lord.  Now, I have a lot more time to experience God's Word in the morning.  I would highly recommend taking a 21 day no snooze challenge!

Where?
In cold weather, I sit at the kitchen table.  In warm weather, the back porch.  My very favorite of all is when its raining on summer mornings and I'm on the screened in porch with Jesus.  It feels like the whole rest of the world is blocked out by the barrier of rain, and I'm completely alone with the Lord.  Wherever you choose, I would suggest a chair instead of the bed.  The bed is too much temptation to drift back to sleep.

What?
The only thing you absolutely have to have is a Bible.  But I've exploded into quite the mess of study tools over time.

• Bible
• Notebook
• Colorful Pens
• Fp Bible Reading Plan
• Computer or Phone for looking things up (only if you have the discipline not to be distracted by its other capabilities)

How?

I always try to start with a prayer… asking the Lord to meet me and for me to hear what he wants to show me.  It would be easy for me to try to make this time about what I think I need instead of what He wants for me, so starting like this focuses my heart.

Then, I read my Fp Bible Reading Plan scripture for the day.  Last year, I read the complete plan but caught myself many days just reading quickly to try to get through it.  This year, I decided to just read the New Testament and Psalms sections.  Next year, I'll focus on Old Testament and Proverbs.  I just realized that I personally can't absorb that much at once.  Instead, I wanted to really interact on a deeper level with smaller chunks of the Bible.

Now I start using the SOAP Method of Bible Study:

Scripture:

I pick a scripture or small passage to break apart and focus on.  Sometimes this scripture comes from the Bible Reading Plan.  Other days, it comes from a group guide for an FpStudents coming up.  Still other days, it comes from a passage Pastor Chris has preached on.  And then occasionally, I've just really felt the Lord lay a phrase from scripture on my heart.

Observations:

With my colored pens, I mark up the scripture-- underlining, circling, making notes on anything that jumps out to me as I read and reread it.  Sometimes I type the scripture reference into BibleHub and read multiple translations of the same verse to better understand it.  Sometimes I look at the Hebrew root words for some of the words in the verse.  (To do this, Google the scripture reference with the word "lexicon" after it.)  If a verse is particularly hard to understand, I might read other people's thoughts on it.  (Google scripture reference with the word "commentary" after it.)  (Always read these judiciously, not as absolutely truth.  Not everyone believes exactly what we believe about the Word.)  After I've marked it up, it looks like this:

By doing this, I am observing everything I possibility can out of the verse or passage.  This really helps me to understand it on a much deeper level than if I just read through it.

Application:

This is where I take what I learned from the scripture and apply it to my own life.  

• What does this mean for me?
• What is God trying to teach me in this verse?
• What do I need to do with what I've just learned?

Hebrews 4:12 says "The Word of God is alive and active."  Do you know why?  Because each morning, the Lord wants to meet with you and show you exactly what you need to see in his word.  It has direct application to your daily circumstances.  Although the Word is complete and unchanging, it's application is alive and active!

Prayer:

After interacting with God's word, I ask Him to work in me to apply what I've learned.  

• I praise Him for who he is.
• I thank Him for what he's done.
• I ask Him to help me live for Him.
• I ask Him to take care of those things that are weighing heavy on my heart.
• And then I speak the name of Jesus over all that.

I'm sure this will continue to change over time but this structure has worked well for me and has really positioned me in a place to hear from the Lord each day.  I would love to hear from you though.  What does your quiet time look like?  Or what questions do you still have about quiet time?  Feel free to comment below.

Confident in this…

Miranda