When Life sends a DETOUR

“You have led in Your steadfast love the people whom You have redeemed! You have guided them by Your strength 

to Your Holy abode!”

Exodus 15:13

5 Reasons we can TRUST GOD in the detours of life

We all hate detours!

Detours come in many different shapes and sizes, but all of them share one thing in common… We didn’t see them coming! They catch us off-guard, leaving us frustrated, confused, curious, even heart broken. The ultimate temptation is to become discouraged, even angry at God, as we experience our faith and experience being rocked!

Exodus 13:17-18 God “detours” the Israelites and takes them through the wilderness. Are you in a wilderness… look around. What do you see?

Exodus 13:21 – God leads the people by HIS Power!

Exodus14:13-14, 14:22-23, 14:30-31 – The people see God’s DELIVERANCE! Do you?

1.     The way God leads us may not make sense to us, but he has His reasons for each and every detour! – Isaiah 55:9

2.     Detours purpose to showcase God’s Glory, both to our enemies and for the sake of our own faith! – God WINS! Everytime! Romans 8:28

3.     When a detour feels threatening or confusing, we can trust God is indeed safeguarding us! – Just as a wall of water protected the Israelites, God’s presence and protection guards us!

4.     Detours cause us to see God’s character more clearly! When we take time to notice, we CAN see God at work!

5.     God uses detours to make firm our hope and, ultimately, to plant us in the heavenly places with Christ! Through your present DETOUR, be it sickness or pain or changed plan or disappointments… God is MOLDING you as clay in His intentional, compassionate hands to look more like His son. Indeed, detours exercise our faith and test our hope!

Chasing The Lion - Part 3

“Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God!.

1 John 1:12

We serve an INCARNATE God!

What in the world does that mean?

The word “incarnate” comes from the root word CARNE, and CON CARNE means “with meat”. Now if this sounds really kind of abstract and strange…think of “Chili Con Carne”. What does that mean? It means spicy stew with meat! What does “God Con Carne” mean then? It means God with meat! God with flesh! God with skin! This is more than some abstract theology that makes no difference in our lives… this very truth can change our lives and our Eternity!

And… if we can understand and walk in the truth that we too are “Con Carne”… then it will change not only us… but the world around us!!!

When Jesus came to earth as 100% God and also 100% human flesh… He did that so we could see the REAL GOD and FULLY KNOW HIM and know the POWER OVER SIN! When we know Him… we become LIKE HIM and when we become LIKE HIM…

Think about the “humanness” of Jesus for a minute… He had to discover and learn about His Own divine nature. He GREW in His understanding. WE TOO have to GROW in our understanding of who is in us and who empowers us! We have to GROW TOWARD HIM!

Jesus took on SKIN so God would KNOW us. Like the Hymn writer says… 

“He “Walks with Us and He talks with Us and He tells me I am His Own!”

As we realize that we ARE HIS OWN… then we start to become MORE like Him as we spend time with him. WE REFLECT HIS GLORY!  2 Cor. 3:18

HOMEWORK – Read and Study  2 Corinthians 4

How does HIS GLORY in us… change us?! (you)

How is His REFLECTION in our lives lived out into the lives of others!

Chase The Lion and Go Be “Jesus With Skin On”

Chasing The Lion Part 2

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

Romans 8:14

“We must cease striving and trust God to provide what He thinks is best and in whatever time He chooses to make it available. But this kind of trusting doesn't come naturally. It's a spiritual crisis of the will in which we must choose to exercise faith.” – Charles Swindoll

Proverbs 3: 5-6 – STOP trying to direct your own steps! Trust in the Lord to lead and to guide you! HOW? Allow HIS SPIRIT to do it! John 14:26

What does it mean to LIVE BY THE SPIRIT? To CHASE… THE LION?!?!

Romans 8:1-17 – Walking in the Spirit or Living our lives being controlled by the Spirit is going to radically change our lives! Why are we do hesitant do allow this to happen?!

Galatians 5:13-26 Living by the Spirit vs Living in our flesh. HOW?!?!

By transforming our minds! By fixing our eyes on Jesus! By seeking the Lord while He may be found! By praying for and asking the Lord for a POURING OUT of His Spirit! By YIELDING to The Holy Spirit’s move in your heart and mind…that then translates into our actions and behaviors as well as our thinking!

Chasing The Lion - Part 1

Chasing The Lion For Your Breakthrough 

1 Samuel 1:1-2:10 

By: Pastor Dan


Have you ever been in a situation that seemed totally barren or hopeless? Have you ever felt like giving up on yourself, your family or your impossible situation? Let’s take a look at the life of Hannah and find out what she did in the midst of her adverse circumstances. Let’s find out what caused this woman of God to receive a mighty breakthrough. 


Now there was a certain man named Elkanah who had two wives; the name of one was Hannah and the other was Peninnah. Peninnah had children while Hannah had none. This caused much grief and disappointment to Hannah as she desperately wanted to have a male child, but the Lord had closed her womb. 


Elkanah was very faithful to take his family to the city of Shiloh every year for the purpose of worshipping and offering sacrifices to the Lord of hosts. When it was time for Elkanah to make an offering to the Lord, he would give portions to Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters, but to Hannah he would give a double portion, because he loved her. 


Peninnah was one who liked to provoke Hannah because of her barrenness. She enjoyed making Hannah’s life miserable and as a result of her continuous scoffing, Hannah wept much and refused to eat or drink at the table. Her husband could not understand what she was going through emotionally and once said to her, “Am I not better to you than ten sons?” Not realizing what he was saying, he just made matters worse. 


So Hannah arose from the table and positioned herself before the Lord in prayer. Being in great anguish of soul, she wept bitterly before the Lord until she could weep no more. Her prayers were like sweet incense before the Lord as she set her face like flint in pursuit of Him for her breakthrough miracle. 


I believe it’s time for some of you to position yourself before the Lord in prayer for your breakthrough miracle. Some of you are on the verge of breakthrough. You can’t quit now! You’ve come too far to turn back. Keep pressing in and pursuing God! 


As Eli the priest watched her from the doorpost of the tabernacle, Hannah made a vow to the Lord of hosts. She was a woman determined in her spirit to see a manifestation of her heart’s desire come to pass. She was tired of Peninnah’s constant chiding and provoking. She was fed up with her barrenness and made a choice to continue in hot pursuit of the Lord and His purpose for her life. Her desire for a man child caused her to persevere in prayer and faith believing. 


Has the enemy been lying to you and provoking you because of your hopeless situation? Has he told you that you will never come out of this situation victorious? Has he told you that you will never have children because of your barren condition? I urge you today by the Spirit of God to stop listening to the lies of the devil and get on with your life. The Lord of hosts wants to pour out His blessings upon you if you will just learn how to position yourself before Him so that you can receive those blessings. 


1 Samuel 1:11 – Then she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.” 


Eli the priest thought Hannah was drunk, but Hannah let him know otherwise. Her reply to Eli’s false accusation was this, “I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.” 


Have you been falsely accused of wrong doing? Satan’s accusers are strategically placed in every church and ministry. We must not allow the false accusations of man to get us down. We must instead learn to set our faces like flint to pursue God in the midst of these humiliating accusations and press on toward the victory that God has ordained for us. 


Eli probably felt like a fool as he kindly responded to Hannah, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.” 


This was all Hannah needed to break that spirit of oppression and hopelessness over her soul. She received the blessing that Eli spoke over her and went on her way rejoicing in the Lord. With a whole new outlook on her situation, she went back to the table and celebrated by eating and drinking her rightful portion. She knew in her spirit that God would bring the needed breakthrough. It was now just a matter of time. 


It’s amazing how God can take a hopeless situation and turn it into a time of great rejoicing. One word from God can change your whole outlook on life. 


Hannah eventually conceived and gave birth to a son whom she called Samuel. She remained faithful in her vow to the Lord and was so grateful for all that the Lord had done for her. She was no longer barren, but fruitful. She was no longer a sorrowful woman, but a woman filled with great joy. 


The Lord has a way of silencing our accusers. He has a way of bringing His people through difficult circumstances and situations. That “way” is staying in hot pursuit of Him. When we pursue God with of all of our hearts and minds, He will be faithful to grant us the petitions that we have requested of Him. 

ME LESS, HIM MORE!

‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,[f] you did it to me.’

Matthew 25:40

“Don’t shine so others can see you... shine so that through you, others can see Him!” – CS Lewis

Colossians 3:1-15 As we dive into Paul’s letter to the Colossian Church... we have to realize what the Colossians were dealing with....These folks were presented the truth of Jesus and His resurrection, but they were heavily influenced by Greek philosophers and even oriental religions. Paul’s aim was to point the Colossian Church to the supremacy of Christ and the denial of self.

Do You ever find yourself thinking that YOU’VE GOT THIS and that God is there when we “need” Him?

Friends.... we NEED HIM EVERY HOUR!

Matthew 25:31-46

When our eyes are so full of what we want, what we think and what we feel, we MISS needs of others who are around us. We find ourselves in a place where it’s difficult to allow Jesus to shine THROUGH us!

Ask yourself this... “Do I need to exercise more self denial and more submission to HIS ways instead of always demanding ours?

2 Tim. 3:1-5 Having NOTHING to do with...self denial friends!

Galatians 2:20 – Christ has to LIVE IN and THROUGH you!

Luke 18:9-14 – When Christ lives in us...we can SEE others in their need and we have compassion and we ACT on being a “touch from God” in their lives. This my friends... is TRUE Religion!

Go BE the Church!