Where did the money go?

Have you ever said to yourself, "I meant to pay my tithe this month or I wanted to give to help the youth ministry but, where did the money go?" As I briefly touched on in my last post, you should never have to give your last $20.00 to help with God's work! Now that does not mean that you should not give or that God looks the other way if you feel that you have a more pressing need in your life and therefore you don't give back to Him what is rightfully His in your tithe and offerings...What I am saying here is that God should be the first person that you pay when you get your check and therefore you should never have to give your last $20.00 to Him, because you gave your first $20.00 to Him!?!

It all goes back to faith. It takes a step of faith to say, "God, You know I don't have the money for this but it is Yours anyway." It takes trust to give of your need and not of your excess. For instance, consider this passage of scripture from Mark 12:41-44...

"And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living."

She needed the money to live on but she gave it to God! She didn't have ANY money left! Not a penny! Yet she still gave. A wise man said the following, "Where God guides, God provides." Do you believe that?...How you give back to Him will tell the truth...

Cheerful Giver?!?

Have you ever stopped to think about what it means when the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 9:7 that God loves a cheerful giver? I mean really look at yourself and ask do I give cheerfully? It's easy to kinda shrug off the question and say immediately yeah, of course. But is that the truth?

First ask yourself, what does it mean to be cheerful! Notice it does not say happy, glad, or even content. Those are all emotional responses that constantly change due to the circumstances that we are going through. No it says cheer-ful!?! Maybe I'm picking this apart but are you completely overjoyed by the thought of giving of your time, talents, finances, and self? Are you "full of cheer" at the prospect of giving up your Saturday morning to help out at the church. What about giving your last $20 to help the youth go to camp (that's another problem that we'll be talking about shortly). Now you may be thinking, "No one feels that way all the time, so are we all bad?" No! It is when your mindset changes from seeing your giving as an obligation to seeing it as an opportunity that the transformation begins. I said BEGINS not is complete!

We all have to realize and understand that we are NEVER going to be perfect in any aspect of our lives, and while this is no excuse to stay in a dilapidated condition, it is a call to a deeper and more meaningful acknowledgement of our need to constantly strive for a better you. A more caring, loving, impacting, compelling, and CHEERFUL you...

Knowing Your Enemy...

Many of you are familiar with this expression. Maybe some of you have played sports where you would get a scouting report on the person that you were going to be going up against so that you could study up on that person. You could learn their favorite moves or tendencies so that you could be better equipped to slow them down or stop them entirely. Why don't we do that with the devil?

I have had many people say to me that "I must have done something wrong since my life is in shambles," or "They must not be living right" due to the circumstances that someone may be going through. But I look at those situations completely differently. Maybe you are going through what you are going through because you are doing everything right!?! Think about that for a second...Now realize that every time God opens the windows of heaven to pour out your blessing, Satan opens the gates of hell to try to take that blessing from you. Don't you understand, the devil will do ANYTHING to keep you out of heaven!

He will allow so-called miracles to occur in churches that pose no threat to him. He will allow physical prosperity to come to those whose souls are already his. He will raise up men who he can control to prominence and fame so that all the world will think that the lifestyle that they are living must be the way since they "appear" to be so blessed. WHATEVER IT TAKES! Much like Malcolm X's philosophy, "By any means necessary!"

We as the Church need to develop this same mentality! We need a few men and women who understand that this war that we are in, is not going to be won without sacrifice. That saying "Freedom isn't free!", couldn't be more true. We have go to be willing to give our time, our monetary blessing, and our talents (you wouldn't have it if God didn't want you to use it) to make a difference in the lives of the people around us. If we don't do it now, then when? Know this, hell doesn't give it's workers a day off, breaks, or even a lunch hour to relax. We have to be willing to do our part in this fight to confront this foe head on. Then and only then can we know our enemy...Then and only then can we win people to God!

Yfactor Football Challenge...

Please come and be a part of our Yfactor 09 Football Challenge. For more information click here or visit our website at www.yfactoryouth.org. Thanks and God bless...

Karma...

I don't know if it's exactly appropirate on a Christian Youth Blog, but this topic seems to be on my mind lately and therefore you get to read about it.
People rarely ever really get to appreciate the saying what goes around comes around due to their perspective. I mean if you are on the losing or negative side of the equation then you often think what did I do to deserve this and if it is a positive outcome then we say to ourselves that we must have done something right, but is that really why we were either blessed or cursed? (I know cursed is a strong word but it got your attention!?!) I mean do you really think that God and/or the angels are sitting around in heaven keeping a running total of our victories and our shortcomings? Well I do! Maybe not literally but figuratively speaking...
We can find evidence of this fact in the Bible where it tells us in Hebrews 11:6 ...and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Therefore we can come to the conclusion that if we earnestly and fervently seek after God and His will for our lives that He will reward our efforts (Matthew 6:33). When we desire to do the things that God would have for us to do then we will have our desires met (Psalms 37:4). What goes around really does come around!?!
Today take the time to do something for the Kingdom and watch as your life becomes blessed...

Being Blessed...

A lot of people take for granted the small blessings that God graciously bestows on each and every one of us, regardless of how or what we are doing, or for that matter, not doing for Him. We all have to come to grips with the fact that there is nothing that you or I can do to be deserving of God's blessing.

PERIOD. BOTTOM LINE. END OF STORY.

We get so caught up in the "how can I be blessed?" that we loose sight of the fact that we have been brought to the place where we happen to find ourselves today purely and solely by the grace of God and that in and of itself is blessing enough. God has allowed you to make it to the place where you find yourself with the sole purpose for you to be reading this blog at this very moment and to where you will have the opportunity to make a choice upon completion of this reading to whether to embrace the fact that He wants to be and is an intricate part of your life or you can continue to live your life under the disillusion that you are a self made man or woman and that you have made it this far on your own.

Think of any number of situations from your past where, if things had been even slightly different, your life would now be drastically changed. Maybe you used to or currently do drink and drive. Maybe you find yourself in a constant battle to live another 24 hours due to the environment in which you find yourself and the people with which you have surrounded yourself. Maybe you are living life as if it were a ride at an amusement park, with a constant and persistent, never ending wave of extreme highs followed by tremendous lows.

Now most people want you to believe that life is simply a series of random events with no real structure or reason for their existence, however, this could not be further from the truth. Whatever your situation and wherever you are know this, there is a reason...you have a purpose!

So the next time you find yourself in a situation where you find yourself asking the question, "How did I get to this point?" or "What am I doing here?" or better yet, "Where do I fit in and belong?", know there is a place and a person who can and will answer all of life's questions. He is simply waiting on you to open the door...and realize, if you want God to bless you in your house, you first need to bless Him in His. Find a local church that preaches truth, get into the Bible and read His Word, pray, and acknowledge Him for all that He has done for you...

Happy New Year!!!

Well let me start off by saying, welcome to 2009!

Now with the arrival of the new year everyone will undoubtedly be making those usual New Year's Resolutions. You know the personal improvements, that I'm talking about, "I'm going to exercise daily", "I'm going to eat better", "I'm going to spend more time with my family", the list goes on and on. We even have them for our church and church departments. Things like, "We're going to do more", "We're going to be more things for more people", or "We're going to add this or take away that to make this or that better". And while it is great to want to improve yourself and be a better person going forward, giving credit to and thanking those who have helped to shape that future is of vital importance.

Everyone has had someone who has been instrumental in developing their Christian walk or guiding them down the correct path. You know, that one person without whom your life would be sooo different. Everyone out there has had an experience where things could have, and probably should have, turned out much worse than they did. Everyone has been in situations or circumstances that they never intended to be in and don't know how they got there. Maybe you're there right now!?! What better way to honor those people who helped you get where you are or to pay tribute to the God who saw fit to help you through the rough times and who wants to be all that you can ever need wherever you find yourself, than to pass them along.

It has been said that imitation is the highest form of flattery, and therefore to give to someone else what has been graciously given to you, would reason to be the most telling sign of the appreciation that you feel for what you have been blessed with. To know where you are going you must first know where you've been and acknowledging the people who helped us to get to this place is a great way to start...

Christmas...

Just wanted to express our sincere desire for you and yours to enjoy a blessed and joyous holiday season and end the year with this thought...

As we go forth in the coming year, why not allow the spirit of this time of the year to go with us. I'm not talking about the fighting for the last parking space at the mall, fighting off an elderly grandmother for the last of a particular game that you have to have, or even the anticipation of wanting to see what is in the package with your name on it. No...rather I am speaking of the warm feeling of having your family near, the act of sharing or giving to another, inviting strangers into our midst and offering them our kindness. Maybe we could carry with us the understanding that Christ was born for us year round and that if it were not for His LIFE and DEATH and RESURRECTION we would not have the opportunities that we do.

So why celebrate only His birth and His resurrection? Why not celebrate every second of His life here on earth? I bet that the woman at the well is happy for more than 2 days of Jesus' existence! What about Lazarus, the demon possessed young man, Nicodemus, or even the criminal on the cross. It was because of the life of Jesus that these people had their futures changed forever. It is because of the truths that He demonstrated through His life that we are able to have His guidebook, the Holy Bible, for our lives. Celebrate and live your life in honor of His and then you will be able to show the world the true "Spirit" of the holiday season, every day of the year...

Natural Disaster...

We have all heard about or seen some of the recent "disasters" that have hit our planet. From hurricanes to earthquakes to famine or drought, these natural disasters drastically alter our lifestyles and enhance our appreciation for the times when things are "good". Not to belittle these events or the impact that they have had on people's lives, but I believe that the most potent natural disaster is found within us and among us everyday...Us.

We settle into an area and consume every resource that God has graciously blessed us with and then like a plague move on to the next "host" that we can consume. And the worst part of it all is that we often fail to even acknowledge the God that has given us the ability to enjoy this frivolous and cavalier lifestyle in the first place. Think about it. We openly exploit the environment that He has given us. We use hatred and prejudice to validate our reckless destruction of people and ideals. We openly profess to love God at the same time as we kill His creation. We predicate and push our own agendas under the banner of Godliness (this applies to all religions, even we as "Christians") and then we completely humiliate and embarrass our faith by in one breath shouting and proclaiming the benevolence, grace, and mercy of a God that we cannot possibly know and love because we twist and convolute His teachings to try to demean everyone who is different or believes things differently than ourselves.

Why don't we, instead of arguing and bickering, even among ourselves, express the love and kindness that we profess to enjoy. Why not let that be our legacy to the world rather than the bitterness and disdain that we currently perpetuate. What if we took the time to appreciate where someone was coming from before we condemn them to hell! Why not allow them to get to know the God that we worship by first getting to know Him through us. I recently heard it put this way, "You cannot lead someone to a place where you have never been and you cannot show someone something that you yourself do not have."

Maybe that is the bigger problem...

Excuse my absence...

I apologize for the long period between postings, I have been out of town on vacation. In the time that I have been gone I was humbled to hear more teachings on the life of Daniel. Surprisingly enough, his encounter in the lion's den was not the only time in his life where he exhibited strength and proved his willingness to serve and devotion to God. His life's story is a shining testimony to the power, glory, and awe inspiring majesty that is a life left in the hands of an almighty God. I would encourage anyone who would like to see what a Christian life could and should be to read the book of Daniel. There is no telling where God may take you when you are able to see where God took him...

You Have What You Are...

I know that most people don't like to talk about death. They either avoid the subject all together or the breifly touch the topic on their way to another converstation, and while we are not going to delve too deeply into the subject, I would like to encourage you to think about this one thought. "When you die, you leave all that you have, and you have all that you are..."

When you die, you will not take any of your possessions with you! Remember this... There was a story that I heard one time where a rich elderly oil tycoon had married a woman who was considerably younger than he was and his one dying wish was to be burried with all of his money. So when he died she honored his request and as she passed by his coffin to "pay" her last respects, she dropped in a check for the entire sum of money...A lot of good that did him?!?

The only thing that last once you die who and what you are! Think about this, what appears on tombstones? It rarely ever mentions the things that you own but rather says to the world who and what you were. Possibly a husband, mother, child, loving, caring, compassionate...Christian? Never "Here lies Joe who had 3 houses, $4 Million, and drove a Lexus"?!? This is intended to be humerus but also true. Things get put in perspective when you die. The tradgey is that for many people this is the only time where things are in proper perspective...

So who and what will you take with you? You have time to change the answer if you choose...

Father Knows Best...

We often hear pastors, preachers, speakers, teachers, etc. tell us that if we want something from God that we should pray about it. All of us have, at some point or another, wanted something so badly or thought if I only had this or that then I would be happy and content, only to experience an unanswered prayer. But at this point it is important to note that simply because God does not respond in the way that we would want Him to, does not mean that He isn't listening nor does it mean that He does not care about you enough to give you your desire. It might just be that He is saying "Not right now" or "In a minute" or maybe even "No". Yes, contrary to what some popular evangelist might have you to believe, the Bible does mention the word No!

I had one such experience when I was younger. I wanted to date a certain girl and I wanted it so badly that I would pray and pray for God to allow me to be with her. I would make deals like "If You will allow me to be with her then I will do this" or say things like "If You care about me at all then You would want me to be happy, and she would make me happy." I didn't realize it at the time but I can see it now after approximately 15 years or so. If I had been granted my request then my life would be extremely different and I don't mean for the better. The girl that I had my eye on turned out to be a drug user, she stole from her parents, friends, and family to get these drugs. She is now divorced twice with 3 children by 3 different men. Why would anyone want that?

God saw what was best for me not what I want! So remember, like the old TV show, Father knows best! God will allow you to be the best that you can possibly be and just like with your parents, you may not always like their answer but often times they do know what is best for you and want what is best for you...

God's Waiting On You...

Have you ever thought to yourself that you were not ready to make the commitment to follow God because you didn't have everything all worked out and there were still somethings in your life that weren't exactly, for lack of a better word, Godly? Have you ever said that once I get everything straightened out and get my life together, then I will serve the Lord? News Flash, YOU WILL NEVER GET IT ALL TOGETHER WITHOUT GOD!

There is an old saying that says, "You can't get good then get God, but you can get God and get good." Truer words could not have been spoken!

God's not waiting on you to get all of the inadequacies and failures out of your life. He does not need you to be sinless or even blameless. He could honestly care less about what you've done or where you've been. God is simply waiting on you. That's all!

So please, today, open the door and let Him in. You will find that it was the best decision that you ever made!

Light Shines From the Inside Out...

Here's something to think about the next time you find yourself in a situation or predicament where you are unsure of which way to go or which path to choose. Step back, take a look at the situation, and ask yourself, "Is my desire to do this coming from outside influences or is this something that I, internally, really want to do?".

You see, the answer to this question, all be it somewhat elementary in nature, can help you to establish whether or not the decision you are about to make is of God or not. You see, God works from the inside out where Satan works from the outside in. Now before you dismiss this as being some kind of Christian psycho-babel, give it time to sink in. Think about it for a minute, everything that you do that is sinful in nature is externally motivated. You want to impress another person so you steal what you can not afford. You feel peer pressure so you smoke, drink, do drugs, or abuse your body. You turn on the television or open a magazine (external sensation) and give in to the urge to watch or look at something you know you should not. The list goes on and on...

We read in Ephesians 6:10-13 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

The devil tempts us, causes us to question God's Word, and even adds his own words from time to time to do just enough to cause us to slip and fall. Once he is able to do this then he goes on full attack. It's like the recovering alcoholic who sincerely wants to change his life. He knows that he MUST stay away from the bar. But, in a moment of weakness, he gives in to the badgering of his old "friends" and goes into the bar just to spend time with them. Once inside, the devil goes to work. He says something like, "You're gonna look stupid if you sit here without a beer, you don't have to drink it, just sit it there so you don't look foolish." Once he get the beer, then the devil says something like, "One sip won't hurt, I mean after all even the people of the Bible drank, see it says right there in 1 Timothy 5:23, Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities., so a little won't hurt." So he drinks the beer and then the devil pours it on! "Well how can you say that you're a changed man when you are here in a bar drinking!?! You might as well go on and have another since you've gone this far!" And so the man who wanted to change his life ends up staggering out of the bar the next morning, a prisoner to the very thing that he desperately wants to be set free from...

His "friends", the bar, the beer, all external influences that he listened to rather than the internal voice that said NO!...Just something to think about.

What Does It Mean to be a Christian?

There was a saying right at the end of a movie called "Bruce Almighty" where Jim Carey says, Be the Miracle." And while I'm sure many people saw this as a fitting way to end a comedy movie based loosely around the miracle working power of God, these words could not have been more true for how we who have had the privilege of knowing and coming into contact with the Lord of all creation should live our lives in this world. We should be the miracle for those around us and they should be able to see God's miracle working power in us because, whether you think it is fair or not, you are all of God that this world is going to ever see and so you have the obligation of carrying the banner of Christ as long as you choose to be His servant.

So how can we "Be the Miracle"? It really is simple. Too often we think of miracles as supernatural or spectacular when in all actuality we oftentimes miss the miracles that we are blessed with in our lives. Doing what is right and just rather than what is easy can be a miracle. A single mother providing for her children or a father raising his kids on his own and having them grow up to be productive members of society can be and is a miracle. Even something as simple as helping a neighbor in need or sharing the gospel with a loved one can be miraculous. After all, think about it this way, is it not a miracle that you have been given the understanding and the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Even the miracle of ownership of the very Word of God which is the Bible is a miracle...How many 4 thousand year old books do you know of still in circulation today? (huh)...

So be the miracle and watch as God does the miraculous through you!

Back to the Basics...

Have you ever felt like you were so far away from God that you couldn't even see of hear Him anymore? Ever felt disconnected or alone? Maybe you've been walking with God for some time now and suddenly you look around and He's not there or you're not where you wanted to be. If so, know this, God didn't move, you did!

The bible tells us in James 4:8, "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." So we see that if we will draw closer to God then He will in turn come to us.

So what does it take to get close to God? Well it's a lot like when you play a sport and you have a bad game, your coach may tell you to get back to the basics. Well the basics with God are the simple things like reading your bible, praying, going to church AND BEING A PART OF THE SERVICE, true worship, testifying of His goodness, and surrounding yourself with good people and influences.

So get back to the basics and see what God can and will do through you!!!

How Important is Your Bible?

You may have seen the video "What If Your Bible Was As Important As Your Cell Phone?", and the video raises some interesting and disturbing questions. Questions such as, If we truly believe that our Bible is the unedited, uncorrupted, infallible, Word of God, then why do we cast it about as randomly and carelessly as we often do? or Since our Bible is called the sword of the Spirit in Ephesians 6:17, why are so many of us defenseless, or If because of the lack of knowledge of God's Word we perish according to Hosea 4:6, why are a lot of us slowly dying? If we believe what we say that we do then why do we act as if we don't?
A wise preacher once wrote the following, "If a person professes to be a Christian but neglects their Bible, then the dust upon it's cover will rise up to testify against them on their day of judgement!"
In other words, we are only as spiritually strong as we are intelligent and inspired by the Bible. If we know little or nothing of what is contained within the pages of this powerful and immortal book then how can we profess to believe what it tells us or for that matter, how can we tell someone else that they need to believe what it contains? How can we head our Master's call if we are unfamiliar with His voice or His manner of speech? How can we do His will if we don't know His desires for our lives?
You see, we need our Bible more than it needs us! This collection has been around for thousands of years and it will continue to proclaim the Truth long after we are gone. The only question is will you proclaim and live it's Truth while you are here?

End of Summer / Back to School Rally...

The SoCal Youth District Four End of Summer / Back to School Rally will be held in San Fernando, California on September 12th at 7:30 pm. We will be leaving the church at 6:00 pm so anyone needing a ride needs to be there prior to the 6:00 pm deadline. There is no cost for this event... Also the pastor has announced that any young people who go to both the End of Summer / Back to School Rally and Praise on the Mountain, that the church will pay half of their admission fee for Praise on the Mountain. So come to both and be doubly blessed and keep a little more cash in your pocket! See, God is at work for you...

Praise on the Mountain...

Anyone wishing to participate in the Praise on the Mountain day at Six Flags : Magic Mountain needs to either meet us at the church at 9:00 am or meet us at the park at approx. 9:45-10:00 am. The admission is $28.00 per person...

Video Ministry...

Anyone who wants to be a part of a video for posting on YouTube please let Brother Jeremy know! We want to make this video ASAP but we need actors...So please pray about it and if God lays this ministry on your heart then we invite you to be a part of what we are doing through the video ministry of the Connect Point Yfactor...