Forgiveness

Ephesians 4:31-32 – Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Mark 11:25 – And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Men, one of the things I continually struggle with is forgiveness. I can hold onto what has upset me for a long time. These verses are a great reminder on the importance of forgiveness. God is very clear in order for us to receive his forgiveness, we must forgive what others have done to us. Don’t continue to hold onto your anger, talk to God and give it to him, he will help remove the bitterness from you.

Zach

7:10

Good morning men. It still amazes me each time, though it shouldn’t because of the God we serve, that I can search for a verse based off of time and then the relevancy that verse has to what is going on in my life and in the world.

1 Corinthians 7:10 “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly grief produces death.”

This one is pretty straight forward men. When God works on your heart for the things that we’ve done and we repent of them, he saves us and gives us life everlasting. The worldly grief does the exact opposite. How to often do we see in today’s world people who have been trampled down by satan while not knowing Jesus and their life is ruins. The world shames them for what they’ve done or who they are and brings them pain in grief. We have to let people know that we serve a Lord who can not only take away that grief, but restore you and promise you life eternally.

Men, WE SERVE AN AWESOMELY WONDERFUL GOD.

I hope you all have a great day in the trenches.

In His Presence

This Sunday I was tired from fighting a summer cold and didn’t have much energy. Thankfully I was on the media team this Sunday at church or I would have been tempted to just stay at home. And I am thankful I didn’t.

One of our worship songs really hit home. IT IS WELL (MY SOUL SINGS) by Canyon Hills Worship. I have included the link and lyrics below.

https://youtu.be/EEMkr9_SxQw

“Though you give and take away
Your heart for me is good
You are always good

When I cannot see the way
You promise to draw near
Please come meet me here

It is well, in the mountains and valleys
It is well, when the chaos surrounds me
It is well, God wherever You lead me
My soul sings it is well

When my soul is crushed within
You see me in my pain
You have not forgotten me

When I call upon Your name
I know You’re always good
Deliver and catch me

It is well, in the mountains and valleys
It is well, when the chaos surrounds me
It is well, God wherever You lead me
My soul sings it is well

Whatever may come Your spirit reminds me
You still reign on high
In all You allow, when darkness surrounds me
You are glorified
Whatever may come Your spirit reminds me
You still reign on high
In all You allow, when darkness surrounds me
Oh, oh, oh

It is well, in the mountains and valleys
It is well, when the chaos surrounds me
It is well, God wherever You lead me
My soul sings it is well
It is well, in the mountains and valleys
It is well, when the chaos surrounds me
It is well, God wherever You lead me
My soul sings it is well
My soul sings it is well

Holy Spirit have Your way My life is in Your hands I rest here in Your plan “

No matter the circumstances I need to realize it is well not because of me, but because of my awesome and faithful God.

This message continued Sunday at The Avenue as we had a guest preacher who preached on Psalm 16 (ESV)

1Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord;I have no good apart from you.”

3As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.^b

4The sorrows of those who run after^c another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.

5The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
6The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

7I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.^d
8I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

9Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being^e rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.
10For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.^f

11You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

The Psalm is simple and straight forward but there are subtle key points that we can take from it.

1. David’s relationship with the Lord was everything to Him. The presence of the Lord was David’s joy & security. vs 3 I have no good apart from you. Without it David was lost. The entire Psalm reveals this.
2. No matter the circumstances, our joy and our security comes from the Lord and experiencing his presence.

Lord help us men to seek, trust and experience your presence. Help us to have David’s attitude in Psalm 16 and Paul’s in Romans 8 that our identity, security, and joy is in You Lord, experiencing your presence and beholding your glory. Use us Lord as vessels for your glory in this world until you return to reign in glory.

Strong Foundation – No Cracks

Proverbs 14:30

30 A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

Pastors, make today memorable. Your message will hit the spot for at least one person whether they tell you or not.

Spoiler alert, I watched the movie Shazam Saturday and that is the motivation for the Message today. To explain the message I have to explain the villain in the movie. He’s powered by the seven deadly sins. There is a part where envy is discussed specifically.

Men, I’ll be very upfront here, I struggle with envy and I hope that you don’t. I pray we all are able to rejoice with those who are rejoicing, but it’s difficult at times.

Keep praying and ask us to pray. I ask that you pray for envy to loosen its grip on me. It is a hard sin to overcome because it only need the slightest crack to get it. Keep that foundation strong.

Make it a great week in the trenches. Be exceptional at being you.

Love,

Yancey

Press On

Philippians 3:12

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

There are times when things get really hard. Rejoice and press on. There are times when things seem to be going well. Rejoice and press on.

Wherever you’re at in your journey or story, remember what the verse says, “that for which Jesus took hold for me.” He’s in your corner and on your side.

Make it a great day in the trenches. Be exceptional at being you.

Love,

Yancey

Family Friday 7/26: A Good Woman

Good morning, men!

This morning I came home from my men’s breakfast and went in to see Sarah and the baby. Looking at her holding my one month old daughter gave me pause and I started to think about the women I have been blessed with in my family.

Proverbs 31:30 says:

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Too often when we measure the women in our life we go straight to how they benefit us in a worldly way. Beauty, charm, finances, sex…unfortunately that’s how many men gauge the value of a woman.

Today I am thankful for a wife who loves Jesus and a mother who raised me to do the same. I pray that Sarah and I will guide Pippa down that same path and eventually her love of the Lord will bring value to her husband.

Take time today to celebrate the women in your life who point you towards the Savior!

Have a blessed day!

M.I.T.T. ~ Runyan

His Plan-Obedience-His Future

The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,
Acts 9:11‭-‬18 NIV

His Plan

God decides that He is going to use Saul of Tarsus, a man persecuting the church, as one of His own.  He strikes him down with a flash of light, blindness and a question as to why he is persecuting the Church.

Obedience

Ananias received a vision from the Lord. In this conversation the Lord tells him to go to Saul, to help him see again.  This same vision was given to Saul, that Ananias would come.  At first, Ananias was hesitant, but he eventually becomes obedient to God and goes. When Ananias finds Saul, the scripture says “instantly something like scales fell from his eyes and he regained sight”.  Paul was obedient and Ananias was obedient.

His Future

Here is where this message has been trying to go. All too often, my small mind cannot grasp Gods plan for the future. I am near sighted-things that aren’t close and in front of me are blurry.  Just imagine the impact the obedience of Ananias and Saul (who later becomes Paul) has had on thousands of years of believers! We are 2,000 years removed from these events, and yet I could say with all honesty that Paul has helped teach me more about Jesus than anyone I’ve ever known! Men, if God is speaking to you loud and clear to be obedient in something, please listen and respond! Imagine the effects it could have for your future and everyone else’s! God is not limited to just our lifetimes, he has an ultimate plan that can go on for as long as he pleases. Our God is such an amazing God!

With love, dlp

M.I.T.T.

 

Power of a Seed

Men, If you’re like me you sometimes don’t talk about your faith with people, a lot of times its friends or family members who we are most reluctant to talk about it with. For me I don’t talk about my faith with them because I don’t think they will be receptive of it. When I saw this picture it illustrated why I should be sharing my faith, even if I don’t think the person is going to be receptive to it. Men you never know when that seed of faith you have planted with someone will start to grow.

Matthew 28:16-20

The Great Commission

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Faith

Luke 8:43 “A woman suffering from bleeding for twelve years, who had spent all she had on doctors and yet could not be healed by any, approached from behind and touched the end of His robe. Instantly her bleeding stopped.”

Good morning men. This is such a wonderful message. It demonstrates a couple things. One, it shows the wonderful healing power of Jesus. In this instance it was a physical ailment. His power is able to heal not just physical but internal problems we face too. Anxiety, doubt, fear, depression. His power knows no bounds.

The second part of this is the faith this woman had. If she could just touch Him, He would heal her. All she had to do was reach out for Him. Men we can all do the same.

Lastly, she had this problem for 12 years. In an instant, He healed her. Men there is no one like our God. No matter how long you’ve carried something He can help you with it. You may not be healed in an instant every time. That’s not how it works. Our faith lies in Him to heal us when He sees fit. God’s timing is PERFECT.

Have a great week in the trenches.