Testimony Tuesday: Do You REALLY love God?

God Gold of the day

“If you REALLY love God, you would be reading His Word!”

-Travis Dixon

Convicting statements like this one call for a challenge to make a response of action! By spending time in Gods Word today, it’s the decision that will not only change your day, but your life!!!

“King David said this about him: ‘I see that the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.”

Acts 2:25

“I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

Psalms 119:11

Testimony Tuesday: Two Moments

God Gold of the day

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

― Mark Twain

To think of this quote in terms of how it applies to the life of a Christian. The day you are born, how God, your Creator. created you and pieced you together so specifically and so uniquely that there is NOBODY else in this world with the same cellular makeup, genes, and personality of you. He thought of you and chose you before the world was created, think about that for a moment……

Then there is the next, after your formation, God came into your life to bring transformation. The moment God reveals the truth to you about Him, who He is and all He has made happen to save you from your sin and death to bring you victory and life. That is the moment God begins to transform you from the inside out, and NOTHING will ever be the same. Remember how specifically and uniquely God created you? That was wasn’t an accident, actually for a specific and unique purpose.

In the Book of Acts, chapter one, we see the disciples, all gathered together awaiting to find out what their formation (birth) and the transformation was all for. Jesus shows himself to them, they see how the Savior is ALIVE, even after the pain and death He endured on the cross. Jesus spent some time with these men and women to prepare them for the journey that laid ahead. Wait, I thought once you get saved that’s all you need and all there is to it??? Nope, there is MUCH MORE!!! That second greatest moment of your life, apart of the transformation God brings, He opens us up to see the WHY in why we were created and why we were created so specifically and uniquely.

‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” ‘ Acts 1:8

The disciples received the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within them, just as we have. Once Jesus comes into your life and come to faith in Him, you are given the Holy Spirit to live with you and the power of the Spirit is not just for fun, it’s for a purpose. After the disciples receive the Holy Spirit Jesus gives them the big WHY to their lives and the calling He’s given them. To simply GO, and tell others about the Savior that came into your life, saved your life and point them to see Jesus and how He can do the same in their lives as well.

Take some time today to think about these two great moments God has given you. Your birth and the reason for your birth, which is your purpose. We can live our days on this earth chasing all the “fun” and comfortable things the world has to offer but that’s not the WHY to why God has created you so specifically and uniquely. It’s when you, in your uniqueness begin to realize the purpose of why you are here today, why you have been through what you’ve been through, and why Jesus has come to show you just how alive and awesome He really is, that’s when you see it’s not about you and never has been. It’s about Jesus and what He’s done and what He’s called you to do as you carry His name to other’s lives. Nothing more satisfying or great than witnessing the two greatest moments God has given you and helping others see the reason for why they were created the way they are! You have a purpose, you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t, praise God and walk in it today!!!!

Word Wednesday

God Gold of the day

Word Wednesday:
[Phos] ——> Light

[Phos] is a term meaning “illumination, or light which is perceived either with the senses or spiritually.”

We can see there are many occasions where light is used in the Bible. Jesus is the light that completely takes over the darkness and can’t be overtaken. If you are feeling down, look for the light [phos]. It is near for it cannot be hidden. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” says John 1:5.
BUT, it’s doesn’t stop there! We are not just suppose to look at the light for ourselves. Matthew 5:15 says “neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a lamp stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.”

I encourage you to seek the light today. If you have found the light, let someone else see!

LITERAL LIGHT; illumination provided by sunlight, burning, incandescence or other source; or sources of light, such as lamps.
Mt.17.2. Lk.8.16; 22.56. Jn.11.9. Act.9.3; 12.7; 16.29; 22.6,9,11; 26.13.

FIGURATIVELY, GOD OR JESUS THE ANOINTED ONE, OR THEIR WORDS AS THE SOURCE OF LIGHT which can enlighten the minds of humans concerning God’s will. Eighteen times, God’s light is contrasted to spiritual “darkness.”
Mt.4.16,16; 6.23; Lk.2.32; 16.8. Jn.1.4,5,7,8,8,9; 3.19, 19,20,20,21; 5.35; 8.12,12; 9.5; 11.10; 12.35,35,36,36,36,46. Act.26.18,23. Rom.13.12. 2Co.4.6; 6.14; 11.14. Eph.5.8b,13,14. Col.1.12. 1Th.5.5. 1Ti.6.16. Jas.1.17. 1Pe.2.9. 1Jn.1.5,7,7; 2.8,9,10. Rev.18.23; 21.24; 22.5.

TBT: “The Story We Need to Remember Often and Share Even More”

God Gold of the Day

Acts 9:1-3

The Conversion of Saul

“But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.”

Thanks to a coworker’s recommendation, started reading Paul’s story from the beginning. All I’ve ever heard about Paul is how he’s one of the greatest Christian warriors ever to walk the earth, but I never paid attention to where he came from, his beginning. Paul was the baddest of the bad. He literally searched out Christians to have them murdered. We see it all the time of how God uses imperfect people to do his work and Paul is the most imperfect I’ve seen in His Word. It made me really think to when I was running as far from God as I could get, doing things that weren’t anywhere close to right. At times I thought there is no way I can come back from this; I’m too far separated from God. Funny thing is that God was right there the whole time. He let me hit a breaking point and I crumbled into His open arms. What’s so cool about that is my story is all of our stories and so many stories that hasn’t been lived out yet. With the Lord being the church and us being the hands and feet, instead of keeping our testimonies to ourselves we can spread the life we’ve been gifted into all of the lifeless people around us. My brother said something to me earlier, “what’s worse than being lost? Being lost with no one looking for you.” Even though our beginning isn’t as bad as Paul’s, everyone has their own beginning. No matter how much we think our story doesn’t matter or how far gone we think someone else is, think back to your beginning and think about the difference after you were gifted life, wouldn’t you say that’s enough of a reason to share it?

TBT: “Going in Your Purpose”

God Gold of the day

Acts 9:19-22

“For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.“

Once Paul was given this new life filled with the Holy Spirit, he didn’t sit around all hunky dory just happy to be there, he took the power and the truth he was given and gave back by starting his ministry. What’s even more impressive about him jumping straight to action is he knew there would be opposition because the people he was speaking to were the same people he used to work with, slandering and murdering over the name of Jesus, but that didn’t stop him. With Paul being a good steward of his new life, he wasn’t left high and dry to be spit on and ridiculed, but he was blessed by the Lord with strength to withstand it. We are put in situations all the time when we know there will be resistance and opposition whether we are spreading the Gospel to people who don’t believe or taking on strongholds of sin. I’ll be honest there is a lot of times where I’ve been weak and hid so I didn’t have to face the opposition and what’s encouraging to me is when Paul was facing even bigger opposition with people who probably wanted to kill him after switching sides, he stayed faithful, kept preaching, and was rewarded with the strength to keep on going, proclaiming the name of Christ even more.

My big challenges to myself and to you from this is not to wait around to spread the name of Jesus cause it will never be an easy task to be done with no resistance and in living a Christlike life through words and action, when the opposition comes, no matter how bad it is, we need to meet it at the door instead of hiding in a closet because if we stay faithful, right beside that opposition is going to be the Lord blessing us with the strength to stand firm and blow past the opposition. I know I read this and thought “yeah of course Paul would do that after being given this gift of new life.” Then I asked myself, “if that seems so obvious then why don’t my actions show how thankful I am for this gift I’ve been given?”