DAN GOULD

FROM THE INSIDE OUT

Author: dgould77

  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 7

    “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” v13-14 (NLT)

    Some believe there are many ways to heaven.  They would say that we are all seeking the same God just in different ways.  But the reality is, there is only One Kingdom, and One way to get there. It’s not found in being a good moral person, going to church, praying, being baptized,  reading the Bible or other books claiming to lead to God, it’s not even found in being a religious person.  The way to heaven is only found in the simple yet difficult surrender of our heart.  Tho this list of things are good, and can help lead us to living more like Christ, they, in themselves, cannot remove our greatest problem … sin.

    The only way to remove sin from our life is found in the confession, surrender, and repentance of our heart.  It’s where we understand all that Christ has done for us and we surrender everything we are, so we can experience everything He is. Has there been a point in your life where you have surrendered everything to Him?

    Today, have you surrendered everything to follow Jesus? If not, and you would like to, click here!

  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 6

    “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.” v.1 (NLT)

    Do you find it easier to serve when people are around? Is it easier to follow the commands of Christ when people are watching?  I think many of us would say yes to some extent. The fact is, we all want people to have good thoughts about us, so we try to do our best, and God wants our best.  But, when we are more worried about what others think of our serving, we have missed the whole reason we serve.  We serve in-order to advance the Kingdom and His name sake, not to advance our popularity, or to make much of our name.

    The reality is we serve because He served, we give because He gave, we love because He loved, everything we do should be a reflection of what He has already done.  As you go through today, think of ways that you can serve in secret.  The richest blessings are found in secret obedience, where worldly applause is silenced by a heavenly celebration!

    Today, will you serve in secret? Will you live for an audience of 1?

     

     

  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 5

    “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” v. 14-16 (NLT)

    You are the light of the world …. Shine!  In the Christian lingo this phrase is said a lot, but for some reason it seems that we have tuned out the importance of this passage.  Maybe it’s because we have heard it so much that the weight of these words has diminished in the way the way we live.  There are several things that can impact how bright we shine for Christ. And honestly, some times it’s in the times of uncertainty that we end up shining brightest for Him.

    Today, You are the light of the world if Jesus is your Lord and Savior! However, your brightness is totally dependent on how much you surrender! Remember what Jesus says in Matthew 10:39,

    “If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.”

     

  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 4

    “Jesus called out to them, ‘Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!’ 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.” v. 19-20 (NLT)

    Jesus was asking these fisherman to drop everything they knew to follow Him.  The call is the same for us. The essence of being a Christ Follower means that we have dropped everything that we once knew, once held onto, once perused, in order to follow Him and go where He goes.  Sadly, many times instead of dropping everything, we try to hang on to somethings.  It’s almost as if we say, “I’ll follow you Jesus as long as you don’t ask me to do this, or give up that.” And the power struggle begins.

    Jesus simple call requires surrendering everything.  It means that we recklessly abandon all we know to chase after Him.  It’s a commitment that requires dedication, discipline, and action. Have you given up everything to Follow Christ … or is there something you are hanging on to?

    Today, Have you dropped everything to follow Jesus, or are there areas of your life that you are still hanging on too?

  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 3

    “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” v. 2 (NLT)

    This is the starting point for the Gospel.  It hasn’t changed, but sadly, in the church we don’t talk about repentance much because it may make people feel uncomfortable.  But, maybe that’s exactly what we need.  When we look at the prophets, the Disciples, and even Jesus, we see them calling sin, sin, and addressing the need of repentance.

    Repentance means to be so broken by your state of sin, that you are compelled to turn away from it.  Repentance is a broken place where only the Super Natural Power of the Holy Spirit, through the power of the Cross and the Resurrection of Christ, can bring effective healing, restoration, salvation, and forgiveness.  Nothing else will allow us to be a part of God coming Kingdom!

    Today, what areas do you need to be broken of and truly repent from? Are you willing to trade it in for a God Honoring Life?

  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 2

    “That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother,” v. 14 (NLT)

    Obedience! Have you ever heard or felt the Lord wanted you to do something? Did you do it? Joseph heard a word from an angel and he had a choice to believe and obey. or disregard and disobey what the angel had said. By Joseph’s obedience, Jesus survives death. Joseph believed what he heard and put his faith in action.

    When it comes to obedience, are you doing the things that God ask you to do? Are you going to the places that God is sending you? Why or Why Not?

    Today, pray and ask God for direction, then take a leap of faith and follow Him!

  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 1

    “And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” v 18

    From His virgin birth, to his death on a cross, Jesus sole purpose was to Glorify God by rescuing people from their own sin. God had a purpose for his life and Jesus lived each day to fulfill that purpose.  His life revealed to us what it meant to love, forgive, encourage, correct, teach, rebuke and how to walk with God.  His resurrection provided for us salvation and the forgiveness of sin.

    As we begin this journey thru the Gospels I hope you will learn more about Him and make much of His Name in this life, so others can experience Him by your influence. But here is the question I have to ask: Have you trusted Jesus with your life? If not, I encourage you to join with us and read about Him and respond to the Gospel as you get to know Him. If you have trusted Jesus with your life, I encourage you to join with us and begin to pray how you can live out the Gospel on a daily basis.

    Today, ask God to reveal who He is so you can respond accordingly to this Gospel we are about to journey through!

  • Humbled – My Resignation Letter

    Dear Friends,

    It is with a humble heart that I write this letter. For the past three almost four years our family has been blessed beyond measure to serve with and be loved by the people of Grace Community Church. Many of you have prayed with us, cried with us, and laughed with us also, as we learned how to raise two boys; one of them with health issues. We have seen God do miraculous things in our time here and feel that we have made friends for life with many of you. We have also seen God do many things in the life of our Student Ministry. A ministry that has seen students come to know Christ, grow in Christ, and share Christ with their friends. God has truly blessed this ministry in ways that can be seen and in ways that we may not know until we are gathered together as The Church in Heaven. We have great volunteers that truly love God and want to see students love Him also.

    God is definitely moving within Fusion, but He is also moving in my heart. For the last 5 months Stephanie and I have been praying about a new venture we believe God is calling us to pursue. In October, I was asked to pray about joining the staff at First Baptist Church in Harvester Missouri serving as their Community Pastor. This past weekend, my family and I visited FBC Harvester, meeting with staff, lay leaders and church members and on Sunday the church voted to call us to serve with them as they reach the St. Charles area for Christ.

    Therefore, I am resigning as the Student Pastor of Grace Community Church and am accepting this position as Community Pastor at First Baptist Church Harvester. My last day at Grace will be Sunday, March 13, 2011. On the 13th we will have a Baptism Celebration at the home of Gary and Kim Riddell at 1pm.  If you are a believer and have never publically identified yourself with Christ, I would be honored if you would allow me, or another pastor, to baptize you on that Sunday.

    Our staff and team will be working through a transition plan that I believe is rock solid.  However, I also know that this time of transition will be difficult. There will times of laughter and times of tears, but I hope you all know that our family truly loves you and are truly thankful for the investment you have made in our lives!

    Sincerely (Keep Running),

    Dan

  • Bible Challenge – Jude

    “But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,21 and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.” v. 20-21 (NLT)

    Encouragement, we all need it! As believers in Christ we are called to support each other and build each other up in the of the Holy Spirit. That sounds like a lot, and sometimes we make encouragement more difficult than it needs to be. So, I want to issue you a challenge today: Encourage someone!

    Now I’m not talking about some cheesy form of encouragement just to say that you have done it. I am talking about encouraging someone with heart-felt, Holy Spirit led encouragement!  Here’s how.

    1. Let them know you believe in them! One of the biggest ways that I am encouraged is when I know people believe in me.

    2. Let them know when they do something great or not so great! You have to be careful here because we all want approval. Knowing how and when to encourage is important.  Let’s face it, it always easier to tear people down instead of building someone up.  Find what they have done well and encourage them. This too can go a long way, and even challenge them to do better the next time they attempt that.

    3. Say Thank You! We all have people who have invested in us. A heartfelt thank you can be encouraging and strengthen a friendship in powerful ways!

    These are just three ways that we can build each other up.  I hope you will encourage someone today and begin the process of encouraging people on a regular basis.

    Today, Encourage someone you know by, saying thank you for …, letting them know that they have done a great job at …. , or simply letting them know how much you appreciate them and how much you believe in them.

     

  • Bible Challenge – 3 John

    “Dear friend, don’t let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God’s children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God.” v. 11

    Have you ever been influenced in a bad way? Better yet, when it comes to influence, how do you influence others?  I think probably all of us at some point have been influenced in a negative way by others.  But if we aren’t careful, that negative influence can lead us to place where we never thought we would go and do things we never thought we would do. A negative influence can convince us to do things we once thought were wrong, and somehow begin to justify them as not as bad as we once thought they were. Because of this, we have to be care of who we let influence us.  We have to be careful to what we watch, listen to, and believe it of not, even the people we hang out with.  All of these things impact us and influence us in negative and positive ways.

    Today, how will you be influenced, and how will that influence, influence others?