Alive and Active

The Bible is full of people like Joseph and Paul who endured difficulty, suffering and isolation. They could have been crushed but they were strengthened by God and their toughness came from a continual relationship with the Lord. We look to Jesus Christ as our perfect example of how to be tough despite the circumstances.

Steve Prefontaine was a world-class runner who beat other runners with his incredible toughness. As Christians we are being beat down by the world and taking blow after blow for the sake of Christ. We are called to die daily and to be conformed into the image of Christ. We should grow in our toughness and allow trials to shape us.

Coach Brown had been rescued from the kingdom of darkness and now the Lord had positioned coach into being around several high-profile coaches. Coach Brown realized that he was now a missionary and the Lord had given him a passion for coaching. Coach Brown uses the coaching field to rescue college kids from the kingdom of darkness into a saving faith in Jesus Christ. What's your mission and how has the Lord positioned you to share the good news with others?

As Coach Brown was excelling on the field, a backup named Harry Walls caught his attention. Harry loved the Lord and despite not playing, he greatly encouraged Coach Brown. After coach Brown's junior year, Harry left for ministry at Liberty University. Coach Brown missed Harry, but he set his sights on being drafted and going pro in The NFL. After Coach Brown went undrafted, he broke down and fell to the floor. Coach Brown remembered all the things that Harry had said and modeled and he cried out for God to take over his life. Jesus Christ changed Coach Brown and he was now adopted into God's family. God used the circumstances to reveal Christ to Coach Brown and despite being cut by a few NFL teams, Coach Brown's life was eternally changed because of Jesus.

In part two, Coach Brown discusses his transition from high school to playing football at Brown University. As Coach Brown was excelling on the field, he knew something was missing in his life. However, God was causing everything to work together for him. Romans 8:28 says "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." God was about to bring Harry Walls, a fellow football player who knew Jesus as Lord and Savior, into Coach Brown's life.

Everyone has a story. In this episode, Coach Brown tells the story of how he was the orphan child. Through God's sovereignty, Coach Brown was placed in the home of Arthur and Pearl Brown. God has chosen who are going to be His and all we can say is thank you. We are a product of God's grace. Ephesians 1:5 says that "God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ." God is the hero and because of the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we now have a new life.

In 2nd Samuel 12, God sends the prophet Nathan to convict David of his sin. David confesses his sin and pleads with God that his child would not die. David knew how much God loved him and after the child died because of the consequence of his sin, David gets up and worships the Lord. In our best and worst moments in life, we can go to the Lord and pour our hearts out to Him and we can be confident that He hears us and He is with us.

In 2nd Samuel 19, David has the sense to listen to the wisdom of an older man named Barzillai. As we age, we don't mail it in and we never retire from proclaiming Christ. Moses didn't hit his stride until the near end of his life. No matter your age, the Holy Spirit wants to transform you into the image of Christ and allow you to use your wisdom to help others in their faith.  

In 2 Samuel 21, David asks the Gibeonites how he can atone for Israel's sin against them. David was dealing with the consequences from Saul's sin, but he sought the Lord with courage. There are individual and cultural consequences when we take our eyes off the Lord. We must rise up, put a stake in the ground, and take on the consequences In the name of the Lord.

Proverbs 21:1 says, "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will." Our lives are like jigsaw puzzles where one piece connects to another piece, which connects to another piece, until all the pieces are connected. Sometimes we might get frustrated when things aren't working out as we think they should, but we must remember that God is sovereign and He controls all things. God directs our life and we need to be ready to move wherever He might take us. We can point people to the Lord, trust in his sovereignty and not lose it when things don't go our way.

Satan went after Job and accused him of only following God because God had blessed him. Job lost everything and he quickly went from being at the top of the mountain to being at the bottom of the mountain. We need humility no matter where we are at and God will build our  character through adversity. Joni Erickson Tada became paralyzed at the age of 17 and after that, she completely relied on the Lord for everything. God has been conforming her into the image of Jesus Christ.  Her mountain top might look different from what she pictured, but she is breathing in the Lord Jesus Christ and making Him known.

At the top of the mountain, the air is thin, it is windy and cold. Despite training, you can't stay at the top of the mountain for too long, so you must go back down. Spiritually speaking, we need an oxygen tank full of Jesus Christ so we are thinking clearly whether we are at the top or the bottom of the mountain. Job praised God at the top of the mountain when he had everything, but he also feared God when Satan took everything away from him and when he was crushed at the bottom of the mountain. No matter if the Lord brings you to the top of the mountain in the eyes of the world, or if you stay at the bottom of the mountain true success is when we live for the Lord through a biblical worldview.

When tragedies strike like the California fires, we are reminded that our life is a mist and what really matters in life are the people around us. The treasures we build up on Earth will burn up. The most important thing is our relationship with Jesus Christ and that we are called to follow him, share the good news, Jesus Christ is LORD & Savior and let God's Word transform you!

We are all going to die, so the question is; where are you going? The Bible makes it clear that there is a real hell and a real heaven and our destination is based on what we have done with Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. For those who have acknowledged their sinful nature & repented (Romans 3:23) believe in & follow Jesus Christ, they will spend eternity with God, but for those who have not placed their faith in Jesus, they will suffer an eternity in hell because they will be judged by their sins & be found guilty. None of us know when our time will run out, but we can know where we are going because of the work that Jesus did on the cross and we can have assurance to know where we are going upon death & where we will spend eternity.

The Galatian church had forgotten who Jesus Christ was and they were trying to earn their salvation but it is only by faith in Jesus Christ that we are justified. The Galatian church was allowing the doctrine of doing good works to earn salvation. Paul corrected them and he reminded them that salvation comes from the work Jesus did on the cross and only Jesus can produce the fruit of the Spirit.

In Galatians 3, Paul is calling out the church in Galatia because they have been “bewitched” and they have forgotten about Jesus and they are trying to live by their flesh and not the Holy Spirit. As believers, we must read the word of God and remain focused on the task at hand that God has before us and not get distracted by the world.

There is two kingdoms (Jesus' Kingdom v Satan's) and when we place our faith in Jesus, we start living by new rules. Christians are called to live by the word of God and have a biblical worldview. We no longer live according to the flesh and we work hardly unto the Lord and we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ -2 Cor. 10:5.

2 Timothy 2 talks about suffering like a good soldier of Jesus Christ and how we are not to get entangled in civilian affairs. As Christians we need to develop good habits like reading the word of God so that we can remain resolute for Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 5 gives us great instruction on how we should love our wife. We look to Christ who first loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that it would be holy and without blemish. We men have the responsibility to love our wife like Christ loved the church. We must study the word of God, remove any hindrances, and help our wife be conformed into the image of Christ.

In Luke 2 when Jesus's parents find him after he was "lost", they ask him where He was and Jesus responds that He must be in His Father's house. As believers, we too must remember our responsibility to be about our Father's business and we should advertise that to our kids, our neighbors, and anyone else in our influence. When we place our faith in Jesus, we are now one in Christ and we now serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

People who are in prison for their faith in Christ are actually freer than those in the world who are afraid to share what they believe. Freedom starts when we admit that we are a slave to our sin. A truly free man is moved by knowing that Jesus paid for our sin. God's word gives us courage because it actually exposes our fears.

2 Corinthians 2 tells us to spread the fragrance of Jesus everywhere we go. 1st John 1 tells us to confess our sins and when we do that God forgives us of our sins and cleanses us of all unrighteousness. Living for Christ means repenting of our sins, embracing Jesus and spreading the fragrance of Christ to others.

The Bible is full of people like Joseph and Paul who endured difficulty, suffering and isolation. They could have been crushed but they were strengthened by God and their toughness came from a continual relationship with the Lord. We look to Jesus Christ as our perfect example of how to be tough despite the circumstances.

Steve Prefontaine was a world-class runner who beat other runners with his incredible toughness. As Christians we are being beat down by the world and taking blow after blow for the sake of Christ. We are called to die daily and to be conformed into the image of Christ. We should grow in our toughness and allow trials to shape us.

The apostle Paul had a thorn in his side and he knew that Jesus's power works best in his weakness. The Holy Spirit helps train and strengthen our spiritual muscles through the trials we face. We must count the cost of following Christ and allow Him to turn our friction into traction.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone the new is here!".  Jesus Christ saved us from our sins and when we acknowledge that and put our faith in Jesus and are born again, we are no longer living for the things of this world. Believers cannot be double-minded and live in both kingdoms (earthly &Heavenly eternal) We live for Jesus alone and His eternal kingdom.

Luke Chapter 2 describes how the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ, came into the world. As we celebrate Christmas, be reminded that we were dead in our sins but Jesus saved us and redeemed us and now we get to share that good news with others. There's no greater gift than receiving Jesus Christ into your life as Lord and Savior.

Another fundamental of the faith is the fact that we must be intentional about our relationships. We must be aware of the opportunities that the Lord will give us and we should anticipate being ready to show hospitality to strangers.

There are a number of fundamentals of the faith listed in scripture. Hebrews 13 tells us to let brotherly love continue. As believers in Christ, we need to have deep relationships and be in the paint with one another.

Are we content? As believers we should be content because we know Jesus Christ and we are grateful for what He did on the cross in taking our sins. Someone is truly content when they are unmoved by circumstances. Let's take inventory of our heart and ask the Lord to help us be content in Him.

In 1 Kings 10, the queen of Sheba arrived in Jerusalem to see for herself the wisdom of Solomon. She was speechless and she praised the Lord. God had entrusted Solomon with everything but eventually Solomon went sideways. Can God trust us with adversity and prosperity? We must not lose sight of the Lord and we can't put anything before Him.

James 1 tells us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. As believers, we need to go to the Lord first before we deal with anything horizontally. We must fall back on our training and speak with wisdom and kindness to others. Don't let something awful come out of your mouth that you can't take back.

In Luke 18 Jesus described two men who went to the temple to pray. One man was a Pharisee who thought he followed the law but in all reality, he was self-righteous and prideful. The other man was a tax collector who was hated by everyone and he humbly asked God for mercy since he knew he was a sinner. The tax collector and the Pharisee needed to be rescued and only Jesus Christ will set us free from the penalty of sin. Don't be deceived like the Pharisee, rest peacefully in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Exodus 20 instructs the Jewish people to remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy. The Pharisees made it legalistic and forgot the real reason for the Sabbath. Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross so that we could rest in Him. We have flexibility in how we observe the Sabbath, but the key is celebrating the Lord Jesus Christ and resting in His finished work

In 1 Kings 6 the Lord came to Solomon and promised Solomon that if he observed His laws and kept His commands then the Lord would live among the Israelites and not abandon His people. Solomon knew the law, especially  Deuteronomy 17 which instructed kings on how they should serve. By 1 Kings 11 Solomon had violated the law and pursued gold, foreign women and foreign gods. When we are tempted for power, money, lust, and more things that will set us apart from God, we must confess our sins and repent and turn back to Jesus.

In 1st Kings 5 the Lord gave wisdom to Solomon and Solomon was strategic in the way he allowed his workers to be refreshed and rested. Solomon trusted in the sovereignty of God despite the monumental task. Whatever we have, we can offer it up to the Lord so he can distribute as He sees fit. We need to be disciplined and we need to make rest a priority so God can recalibrate our thinking.

What does it mean to honor a friendship? Solomon's father David had a great friendship with King Hiram of Tyre and now Solomon was hoping to use that friendship. In 1st Kings 5, Solomon connects with Hiram about asking for cedars so he could build a temple for the Lord.  Hiram and Solomon worked together to accomplish an important task for the Lord. As believers we should honor the friendships in our lives and finish strong for Christ.

Solomon's first test is recorded in 1 Kings 3 when two prostitutes come before him claiming one child as their own. Solomon tested both women and exposed their inner thoughts to find out who was the rightful mother.  Israel was in awe of the king because they saw the wisdom he had from God as he was administering justice. We have the opportunity each day to expose our children for who they are and to put them to wise tests to expose the fruit in their lives.

In 1st Kings 3, God comes to Solomon in a dream and asks him to ask for whatever he wants. Solomon understood the important responsibility of leading God's people and he asked for a discerning heart to govern God's people. It says the the Lord was pleased with Solomon's ask and God blessed Solomon and gave him way more than he could have ever asked for. We tend to be trivial with our asks and we don't get in the paint with God because we don't understand his ways however, we too have the opportunity to ask the Lord good asks that are in line with His desires for us, but we have to have a trustworthy relationship with the Lord and learn and study His Word. As we mature in the Lord, our asks will also mature.

2 Corinthians 6:14 says "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers." When it comes to marriage, the Bible says two shall become one flesh and the Lord says let no man divide. God gives us urges and impulses but they are to be guided in the right direction and we must be grounded in our training. We must go to the Lord first when seeking a spouse and we should follow God's word instead of letting our emotions get in the way.

Before he died King David gave his son Solomon instruction on how to establish the Kingdom of God and how to set the culture. In 1 Kings 2, Solomon wisely addressed Adonijah, Abiathar, Joab and Shimei and he judiciously dealt with each of them. Because Solomon set the temperature, the kingdom was now established in his hands. Solomon was not afraid to make tough decisions so that the culture would be set in ways to honor The Lord.

In 1 Kings 1, David had grown old and unfortunately the consequences of not disciplining his son Adonijah have caught up to him. Adonijah knew his brother Solomon was to be the next king, but he tried recruiting people to help him take the crown. Bathsheba and Nathan brought the news to David who was unaware of Adonijah's rebellion. David's supporting cast showed up and helped get David's mind straight. As believers we need to be ready to help others reach the finish line of life. 

In 2nd Samuel 12, David acknowledges his sin of sleeping with Bathsheba and killing Uriah and he pleads that his son would stay alive. When he finds out that his son died, David gets up, washes, eats, and goes to worship the Lord. David recovered quickly and he comfortedBathsheba. When you understand how much Jesus loves you, you won't want to take advantage of Jesus. When we go out of bounds, we will want to quickly get back in the game. David modeled moving forward in life and the importance of going to the Lord.

In Psalm 139, David asks God to search him and know his heart and to test him and know his anxious thoughts. As believers, we need to continuously go to the Lord and have him search us like David asked in Psalm 139. We know that the end times are near so we must prepare and choose to trust God and His word.  When we let the Lord search our heart, it's like a grand slam because if we confess, The Lord will forgive our sin and that is an incredible Blessing.

Jesus went across enemy lines and shed His blood to cleanse us from all sin. In 2 Samuel 23, David's mighty warriors risked their lives to cross enemy lines and bring back water that David longed for from his hometown of Bethlehem. David refused to drink the water because the water represented the men's blood. There was a culture of love with David and his men. The culture of love starts with Jesus and He gave His life for us, so we should do things for the Lord out of an overflow of the example He set in love.

Brook Berringer, a highly skilled backup quarterback for the Nebraska Huskers was a winner on the field but he also faced incredible adversity. When Brook gave his life to Christ, his definition of success changed and now he offered his circumstances to the Lord. Brook believed in John 3:16, which says, "For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."

In Matthew 18, the disciples asked Jesus, "who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?" Jesus told his disciples that they must become like children and be humble. Jesus used a young boy to show what reliance on the Father looks like.  It's not where we've been in life, it's where we are going and we can humbly submit to our heavenly Father in all things.

In Daniel 1, Nebuchadnezzar,  King of Babylon,  came to Jerusalem and besieged it. The best of the young men, which included Daniel, were taken to Babylon for the King's service. They tried to change their diets and minds, but Daniel  understood the times and he courageously requested to not defile himself with the food and wine. What seemed like a demotion, quickly turned into a spiritual promotion. One man changed the culture because his mind was on the Lord and God provided favor in the midst of the wicked Babylonian empire.

In Deuteronomy 6, we are told to impart the commandments on our children throughout their entire day. Jesus was fully man and fully God and he went from a boy to a man because he desired to do his Father's work. We can teach our kids about the Father's work and we can set a high bar for our kids so they go from boyhood to being a man of God. Jesus matured and increased in stature and wisdom and He matured and grew in His faith and that's what happens when we engage in the Father's business.

In Luke 22, Peter denied Jesus three times. Jesus looked at Peter with love and pursued him after his resurrection. Peter went back to fishing, but Jesus met Peter on the shore in John 21 and he wanted to challenge  and teach Peter that he no longer needed to be fearful of man. We too can walk in the unconditional love that Jesus alone provides.

In second Samuel 24, David's pride shows itself as he takes a 10-month census to count how many soldiers he had. At the end of the census David realizes the sin he committed and how he had put his hope in the number of fighting men over his trust in the Lord. David owns his sin and falls on his face before the Lord. There were consequences, but David modeled what true repentance looks like and he ran to the Lord. Have you owned your sin and are you running toward or away from the Lord?