Archive for the ‘God's Provision’ Category
September 3rd, 2010
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chron 7:14 (NIV)
What moves the heart of God? Have you ever thought about that? Consider the portrait of God’s family living in harmony with each other and with Him. Picture God’s people embracing the posture of humility, employing the privilege of prayer, enjoying a daily pursuit of His presence, and eliminating the indulgence of sin. Now that would be considered revival.
God is the ultimate Promise Keeper. God promises to bless obedience. God’s definition of success is not the accumulation of possessions but the application of obedience. If we will humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our sinful ways, God promises to hear our prayers, forgive our sin, and heal our land.
What is keeping you from obeying what you know? Are you willing to move the heart of God through a consistent lifestyle of obedience? God does not expect you to live the Christian life in your own strength. God has empowered you with His abiding Holy Spirit to enable you to live the life He has for you.
Do you have unconfessed sin in your life? Sin grieves the Holy Spirit. Sin hinders your fellowship with God and impedes the fruit of the Spirit. Confess your sin and receive God’s forgiveness (1 Jn 1:9). Start running from sin and choose to run to Jesus. Do not think about how to gratify the cravings of the sinful nature (Rm 13:14). God will hear your prayer, forgive your sin, and heal your land. Claim God’s promises and walk in victory!
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
August 31st, 2010
“Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” James 5:13 (NIV)
Independence is valued in our society. Being strong and self-sufficient tend to be the marks of success by the world’s standards. However, God’s economy has a much different value system. It’s not about personal strength, but reliance upon God’s strength. Self-sufficiency is replaced with dependency upon God and His provision. Success in God’s economy is marked by instant obedience and alignment with God’s plan.
Part of God’s plan includes our relational connection to God through an abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. The love relationship that God has made available to us in Christ is nurtured by our daily communion with God in prayer. The prayer connection flows from God to us and from us to God. God invites us into an intimate prayer connection that radiates from His heart of love and our response of awe and wonder. Imagine being able to share your heart as well as your heartaches with the God of the universe. We have that amazing privilege to bring everything to God in prayer. In Christ, we have been given access to the Creator of the universe.
Are you in trouble? Are you experiencing challenging circumstances or strained relationships? Don’t delay! Take your burdens to the Lord in prayer. Empty the contents of your heart before the loving and faithful God that you have come to know by experience. God has provided you with the ultimate communication instrument called prayer. Just pray! Begin to articulate to God whatever is perplexing you and whatever is bothering you. God can handle your hurt. God can make the fog lift. Be still and know that He is God (Ps. 46:10). God’s line is never busy and yes, He can hear you now!
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
July 25th, 2010
“So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, ‘May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!’” Dan 6:16 (NIV)
Daniel had a track record of faithfulness to God. His loyalty to God was unwavering. After the king signed a decree forbidding Daniel to pray to God, Daniel allowed his devotion to God to supersede his devotion to the king. Daniel was not willing to disobey God in order to obey the king. Instead, Daniel honored God at the expense of the king’s retribution. Daniel paid a hefty price for his obedience. He was thrown into the lions’ den.
- “Daniel answered, ‘O king, live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king.’” Dan 6:21-22 (NIV)
Your devotion and faithfulness to God may not ever lead you to be thrown into a literal lions’ den. However, your lions’ den may simply be having others misunderstand you or criticize you for your devotion to God. Your family members may not support you in your walk with God. Your co-workers or neighbors may not fully understand your commitment to serving God. Your lions’ den may be when your peers fail to comprehend your level of loyalty to God.
Serve continually! Trust God completely! God can shut the mouths of the lions. God can redeem the hurt you endure. Allow God to use you to make an impact for His glory for every generation. Be comforted by the fact that God is all-knowing and nothing escapes His attention. God knows right where you are and He knows exactly what you need to accomplish His plan.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
July 24th, 2010
“Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’” Dan 3:16-18 (NIV)
Has your faith ever been tested? Have you ever been in an environment that provided you with an opportunity to make a bold stand for the Lord? Maybe your home is a place where your faith is put to the test. Maybe your work environment has been a difficult place for you to express your faith. Swimming upstream is always a challenge. Whenever you decide to go in the opposite direction of the cultural current, you will face resistance and opposition.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the midst of impending death if they chose not to abide by the king’s command, where willing to obey God at all costs. Instead of bowing to the golden image erected by king Nebuchadnezzar, they chose to honor God even if it meant death. They demonstrated their belief in God’s ability to save them from the blazing furnace. They went a step further by declaring that even if God did not deliver them that they would not worship the image of gold.
Do you have that kind of “but even if God does not” faith? Are you willing to obey God in the face of opposition and in the face of being misunderstood by your family or peers? Even if God does not deliver you from your difficult circumstances, are you willing to obey Him and honor Him?
The good news is that God did deliver Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They would not bow, they would not bend, they would not budge, and they would not burn! God rescued them through the blazing furnace. God allowed them to go through the fire unharmed. Now that’s a life changing experience!
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
July 22nd, 2010
“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’” Ex 3:11 (NIV)
Who am I? Why am I here? These two basic questions are innate in every human being. We long to know who we are and we strive to discover why we are placed on this planet called earth. Our security is proportionate to our understanding of our identity.
God allowed Moses to experience forty years in the palace and then forty years in the desert. God wanted Moses to learn some things about his personal identity through a desert experience that he could not learn in the palace. God was preparing Moses for the purpose of delivering the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage. The burning bush encounter was a life changing experience for Moses. The encounter enabled Moses to come to know God in a personal way. God revealed His holiness to Moses and then unveiled His plan for Moses to embrace.
As you can imagine, Moses could not visualize himself as the deliverer of the children of Israel. They had been slaves for over 400 years. Moses began making excuses and tried to deny his usefulness to God. Moses began to focus on what he lacked and missed the reality of God’s ability to do the extraordinary through ordinary people.
Have you ever doubted your usefulness to God? Have you ever tried to convince God that you are not fit for His plan? God is not impressed with our abilities or our inabilities. God is not limited by our limitations. Are you willing to yield to God’s control and allow Him to have His way in your life? God is willing to take you through a desert experience to prepare you for His assignment.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
May 11th, 2010
“David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.’” 1 Sam 17:45-47 (NIV)
Can God use a shepherd boy to slay a giant? We all face giants in this life. Sometimes the giants are related to health, sometimes related to family or friends, and sometimes related to finances. The giants before us are not obstacles to overcome but rather opportunities for our trust in the Lord to be developed and displayed. God gets the glory when the victory is won. When David faced his giant, Goliath, God received the glory.
Repeat this phrase aloud, “The battle is the Lord’s.” Just speaking forth that phrase reminds us that the battle is not about us, but about God and what He wants to accomplish in us and through us. The opposition you face in this life provides you with multiple opportunities to trust in God and demonstrate His ability to enable you to endure difficult circumstances. As long as you anchor your trust in God, you will not be shaken. The evidence of stability will be realized as you place your trust in God.
Now consider your giants. Is there anything you are facing that God cannot handle? Remember, the battle is the Lord’s.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
May 4th, 2010
“‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.’” John 14:1 (NIV)
God designed you for eternity.
Everybody will live somewhere forever. As Bruce Wilkinson says, “Your beliefs determine where you will spend eternity; your behavior determines how you will spend eternity.” When you choose to live the life God has given, you experience abundant life on earth and you enjoy the reality of eternal life in heaven. In this earthly existence, you live on a broken planet with the presence of sin. As a result, problems become part of the landscape of life.
The disciples were troubled as Jesus revealed the reality of His imminent death.
- “It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” John 13:1 (NIV)
As you can imagine, the disciples were grieving. Jesus offered them words of comfort by exhorting them to trust in God. They could trust God’s timing and they could trust God’s plan. Jesus included the appeal for the disciples to trust in Him. Jesus had faithfully walked with them and taught them. The disciples had come to know Jesus in close proximity. Now they would have to trust in Jesus as He submitted to death on the cross.
Trust in God to do what He has promised. God keeps His word. God has provided the resolution for the problem of sin. Trust God to carry you through this life into the life to come.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
April 29th, 2010
“And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.” Jonah 2:10 (NIV)
Where would you be if God were not the God of second chances? You would be without hope and without a future. God will not only pursue you with His redeeming love, but He also gives you a second chance to obey His will.
The fish obeyed God in the midst of Jonah’s rebellion. God commanded the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry ground. Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time (Jonah 3:1). After a three day aquatic experience of prayer in the belly of the fish, Jonah was now hurled onto the beach for a second chance to obey God’s way. The wonderful news is that Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh (Jonah 3:3).
Jonah responded to God the first time by saying, “Lord, here I am, send someone else!” The second time, Jonah responded by saying, “Lord, here I am, send me!” On the Ship Jonah was singing, “I did it my way!” Inside the Fish Jonah was singing, “Have Thine Own Way, Lord!” Jonah came to know God as the God of second chance. Jonah learned a valuable lesson about obeying God.
Ponder the grace of God in your own life. Think through the decisions you have made over your lifetime to choose to go your own way. Do you remember how God pursued you with His redeeming love? God is so patient, so tender, and so persistent. He wants you to come to know Him by experience as the God of second chances.
Don’t give up. God has not given up on you. What God has begun in your life, He will bring to completion (Php 1:6). God always finishes what He starts. What God originates He always orchestrates.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
April 20th, 2010
“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Romans 8:29 (NIV)
We take comfort in knowing that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rm. 8:28). Our comfort is found in the sovereignty of God, knowing that He is on His throne and has the final say. Yet, there is more to the purposes of God than our comfort. God also treasures our conformity to Christ.
The ultimate goal for the believer is to be conformed to the image of Christ. To become like Christ requires our participation. God provides the environments and opportunities for our transformation. We get to join God in His redemptive activity.
Our teachability determines the level of our conformity. Are we responsive to God’s corrective measures? Are we sensitive to God’s prompting?
- “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will–to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” Eph 1:4-6 (NIV)
God’s desire for us is that we operate as holy and blameless in His sight. We are clean before Him because we have received the imputed righteousness of Christ. However, there is a practical daily response to God’s work to conform us into the image of Christ.
When you stand before God one day to give an account for your life, how many adjustments will be needed in order for you to be completely like Christ?
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
February 8th, 2010
“So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them.” Josh 3:14 (NIV)
Joshua came face to face with an obstacle that prevented entry into the Promised Land. He was in charge of mobilizing the children of Israel to inherit the land flowing with milk and honey. The Jordan River was the obstacle, which became an opportunity for God to do something great to reveal His glory.
We serve a great God who can take any obstacle and turn it into an opportunity for us to experience His power and for us to know His provision. Everyone has a Jordan. We all encounter obstacles along the path of life on this broken planet. Living in a fallen world ensures our confrontation with obstacles.
The challenge is not facing obstacles, but responding to the obstacles we face. Is it possible to turn an obstacle into an opportunity? Is it possible to navigate obstacles and be in the center of God’s will? Some of the most meaningful experiences with God are those in which you feel like you are in the fourth quarter with only a few seconds left and God comes through for you.
The priest carrying the ark went ahead of the people in order to confront the obstacle. The Jordan River did not stand a chance on sabotaging God’s agenda. God will make a way when there seems to be no way. God will give you just what you need in the moment of your need. God will not leave you hanging. God will not abandon you.
Identify your Jordan. What is keeping you from entering the land flowing with milk and honey? What is keeping you from operating in the center of God’s will?
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell