Putting God First with my Troubles - Week 7

Troubles...who has troubles?  If we are honest with ourselves, we all have troubles.  We all experience difficult times in our lives, and sometimes these difficulties are a daily struggle.  Troubles can drag you down, exhaust you, deplete you of energy and life.  Have you been there?  Are you there today?

When we are struggling, where do we turn to find relief from our troubles?  Read this comment from Brian Anderson, founding pastor of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in North Phoenix, Arizona as he addresses how we need to put God first in our times of trouble.

When I have unexpected troubles, problems, or crises, to whom do I turn? God says, "Turn to me first when you have a problem." Psalm 50:15 says, "And call upon me in the day of trouble. I shall rescue you and you will honor me.”  I have found that many people turn to God as a last possible hope instead of their first option. They first do everything they can in the natural to fix the problem and when they can't, they say, "Well all we can do now is pray." It is almost like if I have to pray about a situation, then it must be really hopeless! The reality is that God should be the first option in our lives and not the last resort. God always wants us to turn to Him. Peter tells us in I Peter 5:7, "Cast your cares upon Him because He cares for you.”

Did you hear the confidence in the Bible as you read these verses?  “Turn to me”, “Call upon me”, “Cast your cares upon me”.  The instruction from the Bible says to look to God in your times of trouble.  I agree with Pastor Anderson that many times we fail to turn to God first.  If we neglect to do this simple act of obedience by looking to God first, then we are relying on our own strength and power, not the Lord’s strength and power.  Since our God knows us better than we know ourselves, wouldn’t it be the wisest thing to turn to God first before anything else?

Application today - whatever trouble you are in today, turn to God.  Whatever struggle you are facing in life today, have you truly called upon the Name of the Lord and asked Him to help you?  Are you tired and depleted because life is bogging you down to the point of desperation and you do not know what to do?  I encourage you to cast your cares upon the Lord, for he cares for you today.  

Might you find the peace that passes all understanding once you pray to God and ask him to help you today.  (Phil. 4:7)  And if you do not understand why you are in the middle of trouble, read James 1:2-4 to gain insight from the Lord.

I am here to encourage you in your journey with the Lord.  If I can come alongside you and pray for you as you walk through a difficult situation, then please contact me.  I would be honored to pray for you today.

Thanks for reading!  Have a great day.  Keith

Here is a follow up to the blog today from Greg Laurie:
http://www.harvest.org/devotional/?utm_campaign=DailyDevo&utm_medium=email&utm_source=E14DD617
 

Putting God First with my Finances - Week 6

We are entering the sixth week of our devotional series on Putting God First, and today we will address our finances.  “OK, Keith, now you have gone to far.  I was with you on discussing relationships and time management, but why are you bringing up my finances?”  

In writing this weeks devotional, it is not my intention to get into your business of how you spend your money or how you give your money to the Lord.  It is my intention to look at scripture and challenge you with the question of what are you doing with your possessions and your money.  Scripture has much to say on this issue, and I ask you to read the scripture and ask yourself some honest questions in response to reading them.

Read this comment from Brian Anderson, founding pastor of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in North Phoenix, Arizona as he addresses how we need to put God first in our finances.

Finances. God must be first in our finances as well. Proverbs 3:9-10 says, "Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce, so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.” God says to give Him the first part of our earnings and He will bless the rest. Money is the number one test of our priorities. Our checkbooks reveal what is really important to us. There is a good chance that if I were able to examine your checkbook, I could tell a lot about you just by seeing how you spend your money. The way we spend our money indicates what is first in our lives. Most of you know that in the Bible, God commands us to tithe. To tithe means to give the first ten percent of our income to God. Have you ever wondered why God invented tithing? The primary purpose of tithing is to teach us to put God first in our finances. The truth is, if I am not tithing, God is not first in my finances. If He is not first in my finances, He is not first in my life, Jesus said this in Matthew 6:19-21,"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." God does not need our money. He wants what our money represents. He wants our hearts.

I totally agree with Pastor Anderson’s point that God wants all of us - our hearts, our minds, our money...everything.  It truly is a matter of the heart - not the wallet.  It might seem easy to departmentalize how we live our lives in sections and keep this area of our lives apart from God, but after reading these passages, it is clear that we cannot keep anything from God.  It is all His - everything is His.

Simple and direct question for us to answer today is this, “Are you honoring God with your treasures?”  If we are, then receive the blessing from the Lord.  If you are not fully giving to the Lord, then begin today.  Honor the Lord with the wealth he has given you.  How you do that?  There are many ways.  Begin by realizing what you have - all of it - is the Lords.  Then follow the instruction from the Bible and begin by tithing to the church.  In addition to this, you can also support missions in your city, nation or the ends of the earth.  You could also donate to a local ministry that is in need of support.  There are so many ways to make your treasures honor God.  Begin today!

Prayerfully yours - Keith

Watch this video of a family who has allowed God to be first in their finances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6odQa3AyU14

Song of Encouragement today - Lord Almighty by Kristian Stanfill

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=0BFF1JNU

For more information on how to become educated in your finances from a biblical perspective, go to http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu

Putting God First with my Schedule/Time Management - Week 5

If you are like me, my schedule dictates the direction of my day, week and year!  I have a schedule for everything from work, family, juggling kids schedules and more.  Our family had to print out a schedule for each person on Sundays to make sure we were getting everyone where they needed to be that week; and in that schedule we did our best to make sure everyone was doing what needed to be done without conflict.  Wow - what a huge task.

In the hectic lives we lead as followers of Christ, have we done the most important thing of the day and allowed the Lord to be the leader of our schedule and how we manage our time?   Have we paused to consider God’s plans for your calendar before saying yes to another commitment or scheduled event?  I am here to encourage you to look at the Bible and allow it to help us as we gain control of our schedules and manage our times from a Biblical perspective.  

Read this comment from Brian Anderson, founding pastor of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in North Phoenix, Arizona as he addresses how we need to put God first in our schedules.

“Ephesians 5:15-16 says, "Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time because the days are evil."  Ask God's help to use your time wisely. Obviously, the most important time commitment we can make on a regular basis is an appointment with God. I am talking about having a daily quiet time. Everybody's life is so busy. If we do not schedule a daily time with God, it probably won't happen. The main way I can put God first in my schedule is by making sure that I have time with Him every day to pray, to read His Word, and to worship Him.”

I agree wholeheartedly with Pastor Anderson that if we do not schedule God in our day then it more than likely will not happen.  If we do not become intentional with our schedule and allowing God to be the leader of our schedule, then we can easily become distracted and before we know it, we have scheduled God OUT of our day.  Fight against this!  Yes it is hard to do.  Yes it takes sacrifice.  Yes it will force you to make difficult decisions.  But do not lose heart and choose to put God first in your schedule!

How can you put God first in your schedule?  Let us go back to the basics…

1.  When you wake up in the morning, simply voice a prayer like this.  “Lord, this is the day that you have made.  Whatever comes my way, I surrender my life to you and ask you to be the Lord of my day.”  Begin your day in prayer

2.  Read the Bible - make sure you are getting instruction for your life by reading from the voice and word of God.  Put your Bible in the way of your morning, so you see it, pick it up and read it before you leave your house.  Become intentional about reading the Bible.

3.  Worship the Lord - Romans 12 verse 1-2 says that our lives should be lived as a sacrifice unto the Lord.  If we live this way, it is our spiritual act of worship.  Place God first in your schedule and you will be worshipping the Lord!

So - Pray, Read, Worship.  Put God first in your schedule beginning TODAY!

Watch this video to remind you about what your day should look like.

http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/mini-movies/45846/Today-Is

Blessings - Keith

Putting God First in my Relationships - Week 4

As we continue to emphasize this transformational thought of placing God as first priority in our life, I wanted to address the area of our relationships.  Read this verse from the Bible.  “And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”  - Luke 10:27.  As we view into this verse, we recognize that God is not only first in our lives, but He is absolutely everything in life!  Honestly, loving others as yourself is extremely challenging as well – and only possible within the context of a strong relationship with God.

As we focus in on relationships you have in your life, I want to ask the question, how are your relationships?  Are you allowing God to guide your relationships?  What does the Bible say about who we are to have relationships with?

Read this comment from Brian Anderson, founding pastor of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in North Phoenix, Arizona as he addresses how we need to put God first in our relationships.

If I want God to be first in my life, I also have to choose my friends carefully. We become like the people we spend the most time with. If we spend huge portions of time with the people who take God lightly, then it is easy to become lukewarm as a Christian. It says in I Corinthians 15:33, "Do not be deceived. Bad company corrupts good morals. "Dr. Timothy Woodruff did a study of sexual behavior of freshmen at Christian universities. He found that, "The number one predictor of sexual behavior was the behavior of that person's peers." It says in Proverbs 13:20, "He who walks with wise men, will be wise. But the companion of fools will suffer harm." We need to evaluate with whom we are walking. I want to challenge singles to put God first in your dating relationships. It says in 2 Corinthians 6:14, "Do not be bound together with an unbeliever. For what partnership has righteousness and lawlessness or what fellowship has light with darkness?"

Isn’t scripture great!  It makes things so clear to us as we read it.  The application of scripture is the difficult part.  So let us put this into practice this week.

Ask yourself the hard questions as you evaluate the different relationships you are in today.

• What relationships do you have that speak life into you?
• What relationships do you have that pull you down and away from your relationship with the Lord?
• Do you walk with the wise or the foolish?
• If you are in a dating relationship, are you “bound together” by Christ?

My encouragement for you this week is to CHOOSE CHRIST!  Allow the Lord to have priority over your relationships and watch Him transform your life.

Watch this video about speaking life to one another and allowing Christ to lead us in our relationships.  Have a great week!

TobyMac - Speak Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rK6O0YtBRY&feature=kp

Putting God First at Work - Week 3

I had the opportunity to visit my sister and brother-in-law’s church this weekend to celebrate my niece's graduation from high school.  The pastor, Dennis Wiles, preached on work.  He shared with the graduating seniors to get used to the phrase, “get a job!”.  He was able to get a couple of laughs from the people, but then proceeded to show us through scripture how the magnificent architect, God, has always planned for His people to work.  

Scripture: Genesis 1 & 2, Proverbs 12:11-24

To take it to the next level, when we work, how do we keep with this theme of keeping God first in our lives?  Read this comment from Brian Anderson, founding pastor of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in North Phoenix, Arizona.

Colossians 3:23 says, "Whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord rather than for men." So when God is first in our lives, we are working for Him. We are not really working for our bosses, our companies, our managers, or our corporations. We are really working for God. This means that I must honor Him in the way I work. One of the ways this is "walked out" in daily life is that I don't take advantage of my workplace. I don't take supplies from the offices. I don't pad my expense account. I don't take long breaks and lunches, even though I know I could get away with it. I come to work on time and don't leave early, even though I know my boss wouldn't know. I honor the fine print in a contract. I make only necessary repairs. Why? Because I am working for the Lord rather than for men, I am putting God first in my work, and as I do that, I am worshipping.

This approach to work can be transformational.  It is a total paradigm shift in your thinking of work.  It is taking your relationship with the Lord to the next level.  Not only is he the Lord of your family (away from your work), but He is the center of how you make a living or how you consume your time to diligently work during the day.  Putting God first in your work brings clarity and purpose to how you handle your work, your relationships at work and your focus while at work.  Imagine this approach to your day - you will begin to learn that your work is worship to God.

My encouragement is to try this simple exercise for yourself and see if you can notice a difference tomorrow in your workplace.  Whether you are a school teacher, engineer, business person, firefighter, CEO or a stay at home parent, view your work in the reflection of Colossians 3:23 and watch what God will do when you place him first in your work.

Put God First - Week 2 - The Family

When you think of “Family”, what comes to your mind. Do you picture the Brady Bunch from the 1970’s? Maybe “The Goldbergs” from the 1980’s? What about the 1990’s? The Cosby Family? What about in the 2000’s? Modern Family? Or what about the Duck Dynasty Family? Over the short last 40 years, we have seen the family change, and change quickly.

This devotional is not to debate or defend what a family is. According to Scripture, there is no debate. Genesis 2:24 specifically states, “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” So our discussion of the family deals with the unification of a man and a woman committing their lives to God and to one another for a lifetime of love. In our society today, it is very obvious to see that the family is under attack. I believe that if the enemy can win the battle and destroy the family, then he can destroy our society as a whole. I desire to encourage you today - trust God and the grace from God today and fight for your family! Yes, it is difficult at times, and we mess up all of the time, but that is no excuse for us as a family to lose this vital gift from God called the family!

It is time for us to reclaim our families and put God first! But how do we do this? How can we begin to evaluate and make this adjustment in our life?

Listen to these words of instruction from Brian Anderson, founding pastor of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in North Phoenix, Arizona.

"How do I put God first?" Personally, One way I do this is by treating each family member the way God tells me to in His Word. As I do this, I am worshipping God, following His ways, and putting Him first. Ephesians 5:25 says, "Husbands, love your wives just as Christ also loves the church and gave Himself up for her." The way that I put God first in my family is that I put my wife and her needs before mine. I sacrifice for her and for the children. It is my job to lead them with humility, kindness and gentleness. How do I do that? I wash the dishes, I clean, I offer to watch the children more often, and so forth. In ways such as these, I am looking out for their best interests. That is worship.”

Step One - LOVE

1 John 4:9-10 - This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

How can we love others? How can we love our family? Understand the love that God has for you then return that love by loving your wife, kids and your neighbors.

STEP TWO - SACRIFICE

Romans 12:1-2 - Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

How can you offer your life up for others? Understand that by serving and placing others interest before your own is an act of worship that pleases the Lord.

STEP THREE - LEAD BY EXAMPLE

Ephesians 6:4 - “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Your child is watching you and desire to please you as a mom and dad. Lead them, discipline them in the way of the Lord and trust God to lead them. Do you pray for your family? Do you spend time in devotional as a family? If not, begin today. Lead by example.

RESPONSE and CHALLENGE this week...

Commit to put God first in all areas of your family. Begin by praying to God and ask Him for the strength and understanding of how to lead.

MUST WATCH this video on putting God first!
http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/the-scruggs

Put God First - Introduction

Dear friends,

I am inviting you to come along side with me over the next 8 weeks as we dive into God’s Word and gleam from it how we ought to prioritize our lives.  In a culture that is pulling us in so many different directions, we all need the truth of God’s word to lead and direct us.  When times are tough, we need direction.  When there is a difficult decision to make, we need direction.  When life throws us a curve ball, we need to have a foundation from Scripture on how to respond.  Many more scenarios are played out daily in our lives.  How we respond to them defines who we are as followers of Jesus.  It also defines our priorities in life.

What will we be addressing over the next couple of weeks?  How we can set our priorities on God when:

• Leading our families
• Understanding our occupation/work priorities
• How we deal with different relationships in our lives
• How we juggle our schedule
• How we spend our money
• How we respond to trouble times in our lives

The key scripture that will guide us over the next couple of weeks is Exodus 20:3 and Matthew 6:33.  Read the following from Brian Anderson, founding pastor of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in North Phoenix, Arizona

Thousands of years ago, God gave us "the Ten Commandments." They are not the ten fads. The first and foremost commandment God gives us is about worship. Exodus 20:3 says, "You shall have no other gods before me." Whenever God says, "do not" in the Bible, it is for a positive purpose. When He says, "Do not have any other gods before me," that is for our benefit.

If we ignore God's warnings, we will be hurt. When we say to a child "Do not touch that hot stove," is that for our benefit or the child's? It is for the benefit of both of us. We say it because we do not want the child to get hurt. That is the way it is with God.

The very first commandment, "You shall have no other gods before me," is for our benefit. I have found that a lot of Christians today do not think the first commandment really applies to them. They think, "Well, "Don't have any wooden idols. I don't bow down to any golden calves or statues at home, so this does not apply to me. "A "god" is anything that has priority over the one true God in your life. It could be a person, food or sex. It could be shopping, a career, a recreation. Even golf and money can be "gods" in our lives. The principle behind this first commandment can be summed up this way: put God first. God wants us to put Him first in every single area of our lives. As we do that, we are obeying the first commandment. He deserves to be put first. He created you and me.

We exist because God decided that He wanted us to exist. Everything we have in our lives, we have because God has given it to us. God says, "Put me first in every single area." When we do that, which is the essence of worship. Jesus reiterated this in the New Testament in Matthew 6:33 when He says, "But seek ye first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you."

So, I am excited to spend the next 8 weeks with you as we journey together, striving to obey God and His commandments and seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.

Will you join me?  If so, please do me a favor and follow this devotional time on:

1.  Follow my Blog - http://firstjohn419.blogspot.com

2.  twitter - @tylers419

3.  Facebook - Like our page - Cottonwood Creek Worship - https://www.facebook.com/CottonwoodWorship

Videos to watch on this topic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4fghpn9OfM

Looking forward to taking this journey with you!  Keith