Dare to Hope

Steadfast Love: God’s Love in Motion

May 1st, 2012 No Comments

God’s love is actively in motion in your life. In your moment of distress, God’s love does not waver; even when others fail to understand your distress.

“I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul,

Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love!

Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city.” (Psalm 31:7, 16, 21 ESV)

The phrase “steadfast love” used in these verses is the term unfailing love in the NLT, and is translated as loving kindness, mercy and goodness in the KJV.

I like the term steadfast love, because it shows love in motion. Unfailing love gives the confidence that God’s love does not run out, loving kindness lets us know that God’s love is tender towards us when our circumstances are not, but STEADFAST LOVE is a love that is actively and relentlessly involved in my situation in a way that is not dependent on my lack, but in God’s abundance!

The Hebrew word used here is CHECED. In Gesenius’s Lexicon it is defined as love that is expressed with zeal towards someone. If that person is in distress, that love does not become passive, but it is instead actively in pursuit with mercy, kindness, and understanding of the situation.

The first time this word is used in the Bible is when Lot was escaping for his life from Sodom. The city was going to be destroyed behind him, but the hills were to high in front of him. It is here we see God’s steadfast love at work. God did not just save His life, but he provided refuge for Him as Lot acknowledged that his trust was in God (Genesis 19:19-21).

The result of God’s steadfast love is our complete surrender. This surrender is identified in a person who acknowledges that they are too insufficient to solve the puzzle of their circumstances, so they might as well step out of the way and allow God’s unfailing, steadfast, loving kindness come in a rescue them in his unlimited abundance of understanding and resources.

Thank God for His STEADFAST LOVE!

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Revival Hurricane

April 7th, 2012 No Comments

“So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God. And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil.”
(Mark 6:12, 13 NLT)

What an example! The disciples were like a gospel hurricane sweeping through their area. They shared the message of the Kingdom with everyone, and saw many miracles along the way as well. Oh, to have this in every city in America today!

“the disciples went out…” Evangelism requires stepping out off my comfort zone. I cannot allow any excuse (no matter how spiritual) or fear to slow the urgency of the gospel.

“telling everyone…” Some wait to feel “lead” to share the Good News. Is there any other good news that we wait to feel lead to share? That’s the thing about good news, it’s for everyone!

“to repent of their sins…” Sharing the gospel is not only sharing the benefits of having God in your life, but also the dangers of not having Him in your life. Some think it best to never say anything “negative” when giving the gospel, but being truthful is not only what Jesus and his disciples did, it is the truth that sets people free!

“turn to God…” The gospel is a gospel of Hope! Those who focus on negatives, and condemn those who are without Christ, do a good job of showing the consequences of a life without Jesus, but a poor job of the hope that is in Christ. People in sin won’t turn to God without seeing that He gives a greater hope.

“they cast out many demons…” We are in a spiritual battle, and must keep our eyes on both the natural and the super natural. Both areas are real, and neither can be ignored. People are not the enemy! Win the battle in prayer, and you will be able to proclaim the victory in preaching.

“healed many sick…” The God we serve is a God of the miraculous! He turns the hardest heart to Him, and heals the most terminal sickness! There is always hope for change as long as He is on our side.

“Anoint them with oil…” We must ask God to pour out His Spirit on His people and His anointing on His leaders that will cause a breakout of Revival!

Lord, give us a revival of evangelism, deliverance, and healing! Cause your people to step out in boldness and compassion to share your good news with multitudes!

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The Race for the Back of the Line

March 30th, 2012 No Comments

Like the churning wheels of a locomotive, the kids in the front of the line continued to push and scuffle to try and get in front of one another. From my view in the caboose of the line, I thought that they should at least be grateful that they were not stuck in rear like me. That’s how it always was for me in the alphabetically ordered lines of grade school. stuck in the back of the line.

As if the train whistle had just been sound, my teacher got our attention with a loud, “Enough!” Apparently our train engineer had grown tired of the selfishness and fighting in the front of the linel. She spoke with authority over the now silent room, “This is not how we do things in this class room!” “Because you have all been fighting for the front of the line, I am now going to turn the line around, so that those who were patient, and did not fight to be first, can be at the head of the group!”

I can’t tell you how happy it made me to know I was finally at the head of the line! From that day forward, the fighting for first never stopped, but there was a new race as well. Kids began to race for the back of the line in hopes that the teacher would again turn the line around, which was something she often did for the rest of the year.

There will be a day where the fighting for first in this world will come to an end. All those who pushed their way to the front of the line will be greatly disappointed when God turns the line around and says, “the last shall be first in the first shall be last.”

This is why there should be a race for the back of the line even though everything in our culture and society tells us to do all that we can’t push and fight to get to the front.

“So the last will be first, and the first last.”
“Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:16, 28 ESV)

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How to Seek God First

March 23rd, 2012 No Comments

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33 NKJV)

What does it mean to not only seek God, but to seek Him first in the way Matthew 6:33 says?

Seeking vs Strolling
The difference can be compared to a person who is taking a stroll and simply enjoying all that they just happen to take in, beautiful flowers and the scenery around them, to someone who is pursuing a thief who has taken their wallet. The second person will pursue until they have that valuable item returned to them. One is happy to be unpurposeful in their seeking, the other cannot be satisfied with anything less than that what they are seeking.

First vs. Second
There is such a difference between first and second. For something to be first it has to be more important then all the rest. The difference between first and everything else is that when something’s first it is the reason for what you do, and not only just a part of what you do. Your football team can be considered first for most of the season, but lose the championship game, and second will not seem like a compliment but a huge disappointment. Jesus wants to be the champion of your heart!

Kingdom vs. Democracy
In a Kingdom what is right is determined for you, in a democracy what is right is determined by you. In a Kingdom you are subject to the wishes of the king, in a democracy the president is subject to the wishes of the people. To seek first the Kingdom of God, is to lay down your rights, plans, and desires to be open to the will, ways, and word of your King.

Righteousness vs. Reward
When the kingdom of God is your priority right standing with God is more important to you then anything you could receive from others or from this world. Whatever pleasure you could receive pales in comparison to the pleasure of being pleasing in his eyes.

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How to Quiet Your Spirit

December 2nd, 2011 No Comments

I found this in the November email Newsletter from Steve Hill Ministries. It has been a great help to me, and maybe it will be to you as well. You can also get his free email daily devotional here.

Here’s how to quiet your spirit before Him:

Acknowledge God as your only refuge and strength.

Why do you have to do this when it’s time to quiet your spirit? Because there’s always something trying to get between you and your Heavenly Father. There’s always something trying to weave its way into the throne room of your heart. But as you get on your knees and acknowledge who He is to you, those hindrances will fall by the wayside.

The great thing about it is that you can acknowledge Him as your refuge and strength anywhere, anytime. Your child could be on his deathbed in the hospital emergency room. The situation could look grim. But you can get on your knees in the chapel of the hospital and acknowledge Him saying, “Jesus, YOU are my Rock…” There, in that quiet place, He will meet with you.

Focus your attention on Him through praise and worship.

Remember when Paul and Silas were in prison? They were not only chained – they had also been severely beaten. I can imagine Paul looking at the burns on his hands from the chains and the cuts all over his body. He and Silas were hurting and their lives were in jeopardy. But what did they do? Instead of getting depressed and complaining, they began to praise God.

I can just hear them lifting their voices to God in praise in the midst of their desperation. It caught the attention of heaven, and God sent an earthquake to deliver them! Likewise, the eyes and ears of heaven will bend toward you as you focus on Him through praise and worship.

Align yourself with His view of the circumstances around you.

Many of us are familiar with the prayer that Jesus prayed during His darkest trial in the Garden of Gethsemane. After agonizing and pouring out His soul unto death, Jesus resigned Himself to the will of the Father, praying, “not My will, but Yours be done.”

But something else happened to Jesus in the garden after He prayed. Notice Luke 22:43:“An angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him.” My friend, this is so powerful. Always remember that after Jesus resigned Himself to God’s will, the angels strengthened Him. And so it is with you. It’s after you resign yourself to God’s will that the angels will come and strengthen you!

Don’t allow yourself to take the present situation out of context.

Whatever you’re going through, don’t allow yourself to take it out of context. Remember, it’s a season and it’s going to pass. Think about how God has brought you through difficult times in the past, and realize that He’s going to bring you through this season as well. Remember the promise of Hebrews 12:11, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”

Here is where so many miss it. They allow their present situation to dictate everything that’s going on around them. Instead, you must learn to relax and say, “This is a season, and it is going to pass. It’s going to bring the peaceable fruit of righteousness. Some good is going to come out of this…”

Isaiah 30:15 tells us why it’s so important to learn how to quiet our spirits. “In quietness and in trust in your strength.” It doesn’t get much clearer than that.

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3D Desires

November 23rd, 2011 No Comments

Sometimes you just can’t help yourself! Maybe its a favorite snack, and the desire to indulge overwhelms you. Maybe there is a project that you thought you could handle, but halfway in you realize you are over your head. Sometimes no matter how hard you try, you just can’t help yourself! The cross of Jesus is the ultimate reminder that we need that help of God, because sometimes we just can’t help ourselves!

Scripture:

Colossians 2:20-23

”These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.” (V23)

Observation:

“DEVOTION,” DENIAL,” and “DISCIPLINE” will not conquer evil “DESIRES.” Freedom only comes when there is death to the old life, and resurrection to the new life that only comes through repentance at the Cross.

No matter how STRONG your DEVOTION is you will not be saved without humbling yourself and admitting your DEPENDENCY upon God. Not matter what “pious SELF-DENIAL” shows on the outside; it is only the ACCEPTANCE of Jesus on the inside that will save you. Your “SEVERE bodily DISCIPLINE” may impress others, but God only rewards a will that has DIED to self. In other words, there is no certain attribute that you can posses that will cause you to be right with God except repentance that leads you to put your faith in Jesus.

There is no new life in Christ, without death to the old life of self. Adding some new habits, and applying a few fascinating tips is not enough to cross the gulf between you and God that has been created by sin. There is nothing on this side of heaven that can. Thank God that He sent Jesus and “canceled the record of charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross” (Colossian 2:14)

Application

At the cross we find responsibility of our sins. The intersecting beams of the cross reminds us that we fall short, and need the intervention of God to be saved. The cross gives us the opportunity to repent. It reveals how bad we really are, and how good God really is. Our sins are so awful that it would demand such and unspeakable price, and God is so good that He would be willing to pay it. Finally, the cross is the doorway to redemption. God does not desire to leave you trapped by sin, but wants to see you free by in His Spirit. Jesus was lifted up on the cross and rose again from the grave, so that you could be lifted up in life, and experience eternity in heaven.

Prayer:

If you are away from God, I pray that you will take responsibility of your sins by confessing them before God, repent of your old life by placing your faith in Jesus, and receive the redemption of God that comes from making Jesus the Lord of your life. Jesus died on the cross, not to teach us about sacrifice, but to make away for man to be forgiven of sin, accepted by God, and receive eternal life in heaven.

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Change of Seasons

November 18th, 2011 No Comments

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Recent 220 Encounter

November 12th, 2011 No Comments

Guys Encounter Recap from 220 Power on Vimeo.

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No Reason for Hope

November 4th, 2011 No Comments

Have you ever been suddenly woken up from a deep sleep? You are startled at first, but then your senses become heightened. You can feel the hair raise on your arm, and you begin to hear sounds you didn’t even know existed in the blankness of night.

This is what should happen to you every once in awhile when you are reading the scripture. You have your daily bread, but then sometimes a certain passage seems to give you a wakeup call to an area of faith where you had previously been sleeping. A little over a week ago I had that very experience with this passage:

Romans 4:18 – “Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping-believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God has said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”

“No reason for hope…”

How many times have I given up pre-maturely, right before God was about to do something miraculous, only because I talked myself out of faith? It is so easy to use logic to talk yourself out of something that God wants you to believe for. This is especially true when the people and the circumstances of your life seem to be talking you out of believing everyday as well; or in other words, when there is no reason for hope. You would think that God would give you at leas ONE reason to hope, but this is not always necessarily true. Abraham literally had “no reason to for hope,” but he kept hoping simply because God had spoken to me.

Who or what you turn to when you have no reason for hope reveals your true source. Do you lean on your own understanding, or on God’s promises? Do you trust in you own observations and reasoning, or are you counting on God and living by HIS power?

Sometimes we have to come to a place where there is nothing but the promise left to stand on, so that we will learn to trust God more than we trust ourselves. We know that the enemy and this world is going to talk you out of your faith dream everyday. The question is what are you doing to talk yourself into it? If you do not have a promise from the scripture to stand on, then you really do have no reason for hope. On the other hand, if you can find a promise, and no matter what, never let go it, then there is no reason why you shouldn’t have hope. The promise is all you need.

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Holy Dissatisfaction

October 19th, 2011 No Comments

Have you ever had an intense craving, only to be left unsatisfied? Maybe you had your heart sat on a specific restaurant only to get there and find out that they were closed. The worst is when you sit there, your stomach is growling, you order you favorite entree, and the waiter reply’s, “We are out of that right now.” Ugh!

In 1 Samuel 1 Hannah also had a desire of her heart that was left unsatisfied. God would use her brokenness in the situation to bring healing to entire nation that was lost and away from God.

“Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?” -1 Samuel 1:8

Hannah’s plight was not that she had an ungrateful heart, but that she had an unsatisfied holy hunger. The Lord wants us to be content with what he has provided us in the natural (Philippians 4:12), but expects us to continue to hunger for the things of the spirit, no matter what we have received so far.

This is an important value that I have learned from the teachings of missionaries Danny Ost and Jack Haynes. Hannah is in the same situation as Rachel was before her. She was well provided for, protected, had her husbands affection, but she was dissatisfied, because she was not able to reproduce for her husband after all he had given her.

Sometimes we can become spiritually satisfied with the protection, provision, and Presence that God has given us that we do not seek to produce the same thing in the life of another. As a leader, you can become so satisfied with what you have already accomplished, that you do not rely on God’s grace and step out in faith to see His Kingdom advanced even further.

Every person with the heart of a champion only enjoys that past victory momentarily before focusing on the next. The desire to reproduce in others what God has produced in us must continue to burn in the heart of every believer. “Lord, give us the holy dissatisfaction of Hannah to cry out for more, and rely on you to accomplish more.”