Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105)

How can you empower your life story?
Will you commit to meet with Jesus daily?
When and where are you going to start?
How long are you going to meet with Jesus each day?
What resources do you need to meet with Jesus?

I’ve had a Wow! morning. God is so good! I’ll share part of the story this morning and more tomorrow. If you need encouragement today, read on.

Yesterday at Soul Purpose Church, Pastor Matt preached a message titled “My Life Story Empowered.” He shared that you’ll never know you’re soul purpose until you meet Jesus and then meet with Jesus daily. Key scriptures were Psalm 119:105 and Exodus 33:7-17.

Matt first addressed the question “How do I meet with God?” and then laid out these 4 simple steps

1) Opening prayer – preparation (confess sin) and permission (“Whatever You tell me to do, I’ll do.”)

2) Read (or listen to) Bible. According to Hebrews 4:12, the Word of God is living and active (if you let it be). According to Henry Blackaby, “The Bible is not something that leads to a connection with God; It is the connection with God.” Matt pointed out that while the U.S. Constitution is often referred to a living, breathing document, it’s not really. But contrast this with the Bible.

Matt answered the question “Where do I start in reading through the Bible?” by recommending John, 1 John, Luke, Acts, Romans, then Genesis in that order. What a great suggestion.

Matt’s answer to the question “What am I looking for as I read?” was SPACE PETS = Sin to confess, Promise to claim, Attitude to change, Command to obey, Example to follow, Prayer to pray, Error to avoid, Truth to be believed, Something to thank God for.

3) Journal – meditate and record answers to these questions:
a) What did God say to me? (Which of the SPACE PETS really got my attention today)
b) Why did God say that to me today?
c) What am I going to do today because of what God said to me? (What needs to change?)
d) With whom can I share what God said to me today?

4) Record your response prayer. Commit to follow what He has shown you today. Praise Him for who He is. Thank him for what He has done.

Then Matt did something that every preacher would benefit from. He gave each person 10 minutes to actually practice what he taught using Psalm 1. As I read that Psalm, I underlined “meditates on it (the Word of God) day and night” as my one Command to obey. I made the commitment to spend an hour each morning and night in My Secret Place reading the Bible and praying for specific people on a written list starting that evening.

So yesterday evening before I went to bed, I read all of 1 John out loud in our home. That resulted in a rocket launch this morning. Be sure to catch tomorrow’s message and opportunity.

Prayer Power
Jesus, thank You that every day each of us has the opportunity to meet with You by reading your Word with an open mind and an open heart. Thank You for helping me write today’s message. May those who read it be doers of Your Word, not just hearers. We bless You. Amen and hallelujah!

Link of the Day
Everyone should have a blog. Here’s why

Blessings to empower your life story through a daily meeting with Jesus!

Do not forsake your own friend (Proverbs 27:10)

What does it mean that your very first friend should be God?
What does it mean to be fully engaged with your friends?
How does that change your priorities?

Matt Gregory, my pastor, is currently preaching a series during September titled “Fully Engaged.” His message last Sunday was titled “Fully Engaged With My Friends.” That will be my topic for the remainder of this week. Next week’s topic will be “Fully Engaged With My Community.”

The key verse Matt chose for our September series is 2 Chronicle 16:9 – “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” I don’t know about you, but when God’s eyes are searching for a loyal friend, I want Him to find me.

A lot of people feel lonely. Loneliness is a symptom of a deeper problem, just like a warning light in a car is a symptom. Usually, if you want good friends, you must first be a good friend. Often, whatever you are looking for in your life, you must first give away. That’s the law of sowing and reaping.

Here are 5 action steps to engage my friends:
1) Position myself to have and be a friend
2) Prove to be loyal and encouraging
3) Play together
4) Pray specifically for my friends
5) Pursue opportunities to talk about God

We’ll discuss each of these later this week.

You know, friends help their friends. And yes, sometimes it even costs something. I’ve found that when I pay for something, I usually invest more time and energy to apply whatever I’m learning to my life. Anyhow, I want to make you aware of a special opportunity I’m offering to bless you. Each Thursday evening during the month of October I am personally leading an online course titled “UNCOMMON Social Marketing (Web 2.0).” If you are interested, I’d be grateful for your support.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, thank You that You are always fully engaged with us even if we aren’t fully engaged with You. Guide me to be fully engaged with You so that I may be fully engaged with my friends. Protect me from things that take my focus off of You.  Thank You for the trials in my life. In Jesus name, Amen. 

Link of the Day
UNCOMMON Social Marketing (Web 2.0) – Teaching Profitable Attraction Marketing
[http://empower2000.com/7mountains/education/gcc]

Blessings to be fully engaged with your friends!

when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. (2 Timothy 1:5)

What are the things that matter in your life?

In June 2000, the same month that the Billy Graham Crusade came to Culpeper, God directed me to Open Door Baptist Church for an event sponsored by The Family Foundation (of Virginia). Four major things happened to me on that one day. I met Pastor Mark Jarvis and he told me about American Family Radio (AFR).

As I began listening to AFR [www.afr.net] (91.5 FM), I was so grateful for the family tips, financial tips, and messages from good preachers, that I went back to visit Mark. He eventually led me to a personal relationship with Jesus. Listening to AFR regularly played an enormous role in my early discipleship.

One of the people I would hear on AFR occasionally was Buddy Smith. In September 2004 I visited the AFA headquarters in Tupelo MS for the first time to meet with some of the leaders. Buddy and Carol (his wife) took me out to dinner. I remember Carol telling me that she has a “ministry of paths” – to be Jesus to whoever God puts in her path.

During the past year, I have stayed in touch with Buddy only through my daily devotional. On Julia’s 50th birthday (June 25, 2007), I received the following email from Buddy. He’s now the Executive Assistant to the Chairman for the American Family Association.

“Dr. Peck, You are doing a terrific job with your devotionals. I often pass them along to friends and family. I have been especially blessed with your prayer emphases. Keep up the good work and visit us again soon. Blessings, Buddy”

A few days later I received a CD and note from Buddy dated June 25, 2007. The CD was titled “Things That Matter.” After listening to the songs on that CD, I visited every page on Buddy’s website – ThingsThatMatter.org.

Here are 6 reasons why Buddy says he is a follower of Jesus
1. I’m addicted to the love of God.
2. He has changed my life.
3. I don’t want to go to hell.
4. I have a reason to wake up every morning.
5. I don’t have to be a slave to sin any longer.
6. Truth is very difficult to run from.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, “Life is for a moment. We’re here and then we’re gone. Pleasures that we live for disappear like dark at dawn. Let’s make a wise decision to invest in what will last, so we won’t be empty handed when this life is past. I want to do the things that matter – that will last forever after. For to walk in such a way that this world can see the light. So that when my life is finished, I will know I made a difference. I want to do the things that matter. I want to walk in the ways of God. Does the world know I’m a Christian by the way that I am living? Do they see the love of heaven reaching out from God through me? Do I share the Gospel message with the world that needs to hear it? When they read the pages of my life, is it Jesus they see?” [Note: The preceding prayer comes from the lyrics of the song “Things That Matter]

Link of the Day
ThingsThatMatter.org [www.thingsthatmatter.org] – Buddy Smith’s personal website
Blessings to spend your time, talent, and treasure on things that matter!

And David appointed him (Benaiah) over his guard. (2 Samuel 23:23)

How big is your God?

What odds maker would have bet on Benaiah being able to kill a lion in the pit on a snowy day? But Benaiah did what lion chasers do. He defied the odds. He didn’t focus on his disadvantages. Lion chasers know that God is bigger and more powerful than any problem they face in this world. They thrive in the toughest circumstances because they know that impossible odds set the stage for amazing miracles. That is how God reveals His glory – and how He blesses you in ways you could never have imagined.

There is a repeating pattern in Scripture. Sometimes God won’t intervene until something is humanly impossible. And He usually does it just in the nick of time. God loves impossible odds. One of the most exhilarating things in the world is doing something that no one thinks you can do. God wants and deserves full credit.

Too often our prayers revolve around asking God to reduce the odds in our lives. We want everything in our favor. But maybe God wants to stack the odds against us so we can experience a miracle of divine proportions. Maybe faith is trusting God no matter how impossible the odds are. Maybe our impossible situations are opportunities to experience a new dimension of God’s glory.

God is everywhere all the time. He is still hovering over chaos. Maybe we underestimate our freedom in Christ. Maybe it’s not just freedom from sin. Maybe it is the freedom to do the extra-dimensional. According to A. W. Tozer, the most important thing about you is what comes to mind when you think about God. How you think about God will determine who you become.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, thank You for always working behind the scenes, engineering our circumstances, and setting us up for success. Help each of us to keep growing so You get bigger to us. Give us faith to believe that NO-THING is impossible for You. Thank You Jesus. Amen.

Link of the Day
www.evotional.com – Check out Mark Batterson’s cool blog site

Blessings for God to smash your small cosmos with his big hammer!

Your Daily Blessings News
Most of the excerpts above come directly from Chapter 2 of “In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day.”
 

And Jesus said unto them “Because of your unbelief” (Matthew 17:20)

What steps can you take to change your perspective?

Our perspective makes a tremendous difference. God wants us to see things from His heavenly perspective and then pray accordingly. God is sovereign. He?s in charge. He?s in control even when circumstances around us seem out of control. If we look up to heaven and put our faith in God, we will find that His promises never fail.

This week I?m on a relaxing vacation in Cancun Mexico with my wife and parents. I had hoped to get a week ahead with my devotionals before leaving home, but that didn?t happen. Then I planned to start writing a daily devotional yesterday while at our resort in Cancun, but God had other plans and blessings in store for me.

I got up at 6 AM yesterday intent to start, but quickly found out the Internet café did not open until 7 AM. While waiting patiently at the outdoor pool, God blessed me to see the sun rise over the ocean. Wow! At 7 AM, I bought my Internet card, but soon discovered the main server was not working properly. After 15 minutes of getting nowhere, I realized I now had insufficient time before our scheduled morning excursion, so I went back to the pool to watch my wife swim and cater to her needs. She appreciated that.

Vacations are extremely important. By stepping away from our routines and the busyness of our lives, we gain a fresh perspective. Being still allows us to clear our minds of seemingly important things, which then allows God to reset our agendas and goals. Vacations help us appreciate the beauty of God’s creation. They restore our souls, hopes, and dreams. 

Prayer Power
Most gracious, heavenly Father, thank You for this vacation at a gorgeous resort in a beautiful part of Mexico. While, I’m here, bless me with uncommon ideas and experiences to shatter spiritual strongholds in Virginia. Bless those who receive this message with the discipline to take regular vacations to renew their minds. Thank You Jesus. Amen.

Link of the Day
Americans need more vacation — and so do our laptops
[www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/08/01/TRGUT7SDDJ1.DTL]

Blessings to renew your mind with regular vacations!

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38, NIV).

Are you giving God your first fruits with a cheerful heart?
What percent of your income do you save?

Like Bill Gates of today, John D. Rockefeller was the wealthiest man of his generation. When John was asked what was the secret of his financial success, he gave a profoundly simple answer – he followed the 10-10-80 principle. John gave the first 10% of what he earned to God, the next 10% to savings, and then he lived within his means on the remaining 80%.

By giving God our “first fruits”, we acknowledge Him as the owner of all and show we trust Him. This act of giving with a cheerful heart releases the promise of God that “our barns will be filled with plenty” (Proverbs 3:9-10). In other words, when You give God the first and best of what You have, He will bless the remainder. This applies not only to our money, but also to our time and talent. The LORD is our Redeemer.

The second part of the 10-10-80 principle is saving. In America, we now have a culture of debt – people are in debt and so are our governments. In Japan the average savings for a worker is more than 20%. In Western Europe it’s about 16%. But in the United States, the average worker saves minus 2%. Covetousness leads to financial bondage, which leads to spiritual bondage. The Bible says that “the borrower is servant to the lender.”

It’s interesting that when immigrants come to our country, they often do a much better job at saving than people who have lived in America for all their lives, despite the fact that they often earn far less.

Prayer Power
Father, when we follow Your principles, life works, and when we don’t, it doesn’t. Forgive me and my family for our past covetousness. Thank You that we are now able to give generously to Your Kingdom work. Help us to do a better job at saving. Set us free from all debt, including our home mortgage. Bless the readers of this message to be able to follow the 10-10-80 principle and to teach others to do likewise. Thank You Jesus for the power of prayer in Your name. Amen.

Link of the Day
” 10-10-80 principle” Surviving Financial Storms – YouTube video by church in Orange CA 92866

Blessings to follow the 10-10-80 principle!

“Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.” (Leviticus 23:3)

How consistent are you at keeping the Sabbath holy each week?

Busyness is a great enemy of relationships. We must address the serious problem of busyness in our lives to experience a great awakening. The devil doesn’t have to get us to do anything bad to be at work in our lives. All he has to do is keep us busy.

My father told me that when we lived in Charlottesville Virginia in the early 1960′s, only one business was open on Sundays and that was an international one. Today, hundreds of businesses are open on Sundays and people scurry around shopping. Sports and children activities have invaded every day of the week. Families have little time of solitude together to communicate.

It is not easy to take a Sabbath. You’ve got to decide to do it. A regular Sabbath puts a brake on overwork. In order to practice Sabbath, you must learn one powerful word, “No”. That little word creates the hearth in which the fires of our calling can burn brightly.

Sabbath is … an attitude of the heart which recognizes the need for regular soul care within the rhythm of daily life… Sabbath is the gift of rest, reflection, and renewal – a time of preparation at the beginning of the week, not a restoration from exhaustion at the end of a long busy week. – David Steffenson, First Lutheran Church, Little Falls, Minnesota

Prayer Power
Father God, the Bible makes it clear that Your command to keep the Sabbath holy is an eternal command. Forgive me for the many times I have disobeyed You by failing to take a Sabbath rest. Bless me to experience the wholeness and joy that come from observing Your order for life by observing Sabbath time. Thank You Jesus. Amen.

Link of the Day
Sabbath Keeping and Sabbatical Taking

Blessings to keep the Sabbath holy!