Live LIGHT

Do you make the time to listen for the Lord? Learn a tool that can help you listen for the Lord effectively today. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.” A tool to listen for the Lord There is a tool that helps me listens for the Lord. I call it conversational journaling. I know I’ve told you about it before but my question for you during this time of of self-imposed exile for the good of the realm is - Do you regularly listen for the Lord? Habakkuk 2:1 says “I will look to see what he will say to me” Don’t to enjoy poetic prophecy? How do you look to see what God will say? How do you see what anyone says? Although I think we all get it. Anyone who has seen the voice of God gets it. Anyway, it goes o...

How do strengthen yourself in the Lord? Since hope is a process, you better know how to do it. Learn how you can strengthen yourself in the Lord today. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God. v.6 How do you strengthen yourself in the Lord? When I was in seminary, I often told pentecostal jokes. I figured it was the group I grew up in, so we’re the only ones I should probably poke fun at. Apparently some people didn’t’ know that about me. One day I came back into the class with a fresh cup of coffee before the break was over. There was a group in the back corner and I went to see what was going on. One of the guys turned to me and said, “Can you believe these guys still think tongues is still a gift for today?” “Hey me too!” I laughed, then challenged “How do you strengthen yourself in the Lord?” I don’t know if I ever talked to that guy agai...

Hope avoids bitterness. The two can’t exist in the same place. We need to know how to avoid bitterness in our disappointments in life. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. 1 Samuel 30:6a Two Keys to Avoid Bitterness Two key areas where we can grow bitter are when we are offended by others and when we live offended at God. Key 1 Hope avoids bitterness through Forgiveness When we forgive others we need to remember to do if from our heart. To forgive from the heart we need to make the decision to forgive, we need to have action that shows we’ve forgiven and we need to feel the peace that comes from forgiveness. Have you decided to forgive? If not, choose to “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32 NIV) Can you bless the offender? bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Luke 6:28 If not, fo...

Hope accepts the reality of what has happened. It’s not wishful thinking or denial. Learn what that means today. When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. 1 Samuel 30:3-4 Hope Accepts and the Stockdale Paradox You’ve heard me talk about the Stockdale Paradox. I’ll do it again, in case you don’t remember what it is. James Stockdale, former vice-presidential candidate, who, during the Vietnam War, was held captive as a prisoner of war for over seven years. He was one of the highest-ranking naval officers at the time. During this horrific period, Stockdale was repeatedly tortured and had no reason to believe he'd make it out alive. Held in the clutches of the grim reality of his hell world, he found a way to stay alive by embracing both the harshness of his situation with a balance of healthy optimism. Stockdale explained this ide...

Hope is something we all may need a refresher on at this time. It’s something we can lose track of if we’re not careful. I’ve had to learn about hope the hard way. When my dad died of Bulbar ALS I had just placed my family, friends, finances and future on the altar and trusted God with the best of all I had. Then my Dad died and it took some time until I learned I also needed to trust God with my pain and hurt and disappointment. For me, faith is trusting God with my best, hope is trusting God with my pain. In this series we’ll help you to #CopeWithHope. Hope is the helmet of our salvation...that’s why it’s so often attacked. We’ll be attacked in the areas of our relationships, health and finances. It’s who we connect with, what we earn from what we do, and our body. The battle for hope is the battle for identity. How to Hope when life is a mess series In this series we’ll look at a story in 1 Samuel 30 to see how David hoped when he got news that knocked the knees out from him. Is ...

There is a lie that needs to be confronted in love. It’s that I can’t help how I feel. With Holy Spirit’s help, you can change how you feel. I CAN change how I feel. Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.  Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 The city I lived in banned Conversation Therapy. My country is in the process of making it criminal. The city didn’t define what Conversion Therapy was, but insisted no one be forced to give up how they identify. I’m in agreement that no one should be forced to change law...

Is it right to live unoffendable anymore? Don’t we have to fight for our rights? Learn how you be more unoffendable today. I live unoffendable. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud  or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 How can we live unoffendable? I saw a sign at the side of the road. It was advertising ads space. It is a sign of a monkey sitting on a tree looking at a sign advertising bananas. And I got a little offended. Is the company telling me I’m the monkey and it’s easy to sell to me? If I decide to buy that advertising space I’m definitely the monkey they sold the banana to. Have you ever noticed how easy it is for us to take offence? I’ve come to realize that if I get offended over ad...