Dan Gould

Tag: Bible Challenge

  • Bible Challenge – 1 John 2

    “And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. 4 If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. 5 But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. 6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:3-6

    Have you ever questioned your faith?  Have you ever asked yourself, “Am I really a Christian?” Many times this is a heart shaking question that causes me to evaluate my life and look at the areas that are causing me to question my my faith in Christ. As a Christ Follower, there are 3 things that I must do to have the confidence that John talks about here in this passage:

    1. I must put my FAITH IN CHRIST! – This simply means that I realize who I am (a sinner) Who God is (Creator, The One True God, He is pure, holy, and mighty) and who Jesus is (Fully God & Fully Man, Takes sin upon Himself through the Cross so I could have a relationship with God.)  Click here if you have questions about what it means to have faith in Christ.

    2. I must OBEY CHRISTS TEACHINGS! This is where I adjust my life according to the things Jesus says.  To be honest, it’s sometimes easier to know what Jesus says, than it is to actually do what He says.  But, if i want to have the confidence that John talks about, i need to start applying the things i hear and read, so I can be more like Jesus everyday.

    3. I must FOLLOW CHRIST EXAMPLE! This is where others see on the outside what Christ is doing on the inside. When I truly seek to obey Christ Teachings, I will have a desire to follow His example.

    If anyone of these are out of balance it can cause me to question everything.  But when I have put my faith in Christ, I am Obeying Christs Teaching, and I am Following Christs Example, I have the confidence that John talks about in this passage.

    Father today, help me remember all that Jesus for me! Strengthen my faith as I read your Word.  Convict my heart of the sin that like to hide in the dark places, so I begin to obey you in all areas not just some. Allow me to take the step of faith and follow Christ Example even if it isn’t popular and I get persecuted for it.

  • Bible Challenge – 1 John 1

    “This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:5-7

    As a kid/teenager I use to love to play ‘Hide & Seek’! We all know that some of the best hiding places are found in the darkest places.  Usually these dark places are hard to find, but when we find them, we tend to go back there to hide because no-one knows where it is but us.

    As an adult, I have learned to hide.  In fact, I am and expert hider! I hide the real me behind several things like: busyness, work, my title, doing good things, knowing when/what/how to say things, and even trying to look better than I am in public. Sometimes, I am afraid of the light because I have gotten so use to the darkness I find myself retracting to.

    However, I am learning the importance of staying in the Light and allowing the Light of Christ to search out the dark places that I tend to find myself hiding.  Sometimes this process is painful and causes me to experience fear, shame, and brokenness.  But regardless of the pain, the process is always freeing. It brings me to a deeper understanding of Christ love and of Gods grace and mercy!

    Father, I confess that sometimes it’s easier to hide in the darkness than to live in the Light.  Today will you search me and reveal to me the places that I am hiding.  Help me put a deeper faith, trust, desire, and even effort in living in your Light today and each day after this. In Christ Name I pray, Amen!

  • Bible Challenge – James 5

    “Confess your sins to each other & pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power & produces wonderful results.” James 5:16

    Confess your sins to each other …. But what if they ________  ….. I can do this on my own no-one else needs to know, after all, I’m probably the only one that deals with this …. I don’t have close enough friends to share this type of stuff with.  Sound familiar? Have you caught yourself thinking any of these thoughts when it comes to confessing your sin to another person?  I know I have said all of these plus some.

    Let’s face it, there is a big risk we take when we expose the things we try to hide and confess the sin that we are ashamed of and many times addicted to, to other people. However, when we humble ourselves and confess our sin to God and to others, we take a new stance against the sin that we try to hide, that tends to keep us controlled and trapped no matter how many times we have prayed the prayer telling God we’ll never do it again.  We will take a new stance against the sin that we know is keeping God at distance.

    Is it scary … YES! Is it necessary …. YES! Sin is serious, and its time that we take it serious and stop trying to fight against it in our own power! We have to stop believing the lies that Satan has caused us to believe, and we have to believe that when we live by God’s Word, we will experience the power and promise found in Gods Word.

    When we confess our sin to others, it engages them in the battle with us.   It allows them to stand with us, pray for us, and hold us accountable. The Bible says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” (Pr 27:17) The Truth is, we need each other! Let’s stop trying to battle sin alone. Let’s be honest, it hasn’t worked that well for us so far has it!?!

    Father, help me not just read this verse and focus on the promise at the end of the verse. Help me to face my fears by stepping out in faith and taking the risk by confessing my sins (not just the easy ones but the difficult ones) to others.

  • Bible Challenge – James 2

    “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that faith save anyone?” James 2:14

    Don’t talk about IT, BE about IT! This has been a phrase that has been piercing my heart all summer.  Let’s face it, it’s easy to say that we are Christians, but it a whole different thing when we try to live out the things we say we believe.

    Growing up as a kid, I was taught this phrase, “Actions speak louder than words.” If we were to pause for a moment and think about what our actions are saying, it might scare us. Many times, good or bad, we are labeled by our actions. When our words and actions align these labels tend to be positive. However, if our words and our actions conflict, these labels tend to be negative.

    I’m wrestling with this thought but I think there is a lot of truth to it, many times our words reveal the intentions of our heart, but our actions reveal the meditation of our heart! It’s a powerful thing when our words and our actions actions align with our Faith in Christ Jesus. Don’t be fooled, people are watching! They are comparing the things we say with the way we live and they are more likely to listen to us when they see our words and actions don’t conflict.

    So here is the challenge for today, let’s put our faith in action.  Let’s show the people around us what it means to have a relationship with Christ not just by the things we say, but by things we do. Don’t just talk about IT, BE about IT!

    Father today, help us to live out the things we say we believe. When the temptation comes to do something that is in opposition of what we believe, empower us to resist that temptation. Let our actions speak louder than our words so that you can receive all the glory and others can see the difference you are making in our lives.

    “Preach the gospel always, If necessary use words.” ~ St. Francis of Assisi.

  • Stirring

    “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)

    Have you ever had this feeling that God was about to blow you away?  I’m not talking about striking you down or writing you off.  I’m talking about blowing you away by something He does in you, around you, and possibly even through you.  Has it happened before?  Could it happen again?

    Every time I see this verse I am blown away by Gods ability to use a person like me to advance His Kingdom. I mean, he knows all my failures, the things I wrestle with, and despite all these things, he uses me.  This in itself is a miracle.  However, I believe it is the desire of Gods heart to move through his people and do what we think is impossible.

    Luckily for me I have had some great people in my life that have challenged me, loved me, encouraged me, and held me accountable.  God has used these people in huge ways.  But just like God has used these people in my life, He wants to use me in another persons life.  This is where the stirring begins to happen.

    Being aware that the creator of the universe, loves me, has a purpose for me, and  desires to use me, is the stating point for you and I to see God do the impossible.  It’s the starting point to see Him do infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Have you come to this awareness?  If so, how are you responding?

    I feel that God is on the verge of doing something big in my life, I have no idea what that might be, I just know that He is stirring my heart and my thoughts.  Yes there are times it’s scary.  Sometimes it’s going to be scary because I (we) have to rely on His voice, His power, His wisdom, and His provision.  Peter was scared to step out of the boat, but when he did, he walked on water. Here’s the lesson, if I (we) want to see God sized results, it must not be about me (us) it has to be about Him, and I (we) must keep my (our) eyes on Jesus.

    Over the next couple of days I want to break down some of my thoughts and desires on what God is stirring on the inside of me.  If it can be an encouragement to you, great!  But to be honest, this may be more for me than for you, but you are welcome to join me in this journey … who knows, maybe God is stirring you in the same way He is stirring me.  If that’s the case lets take serious this verse and ask God to prepare us for to be blown away by what He Chooses to do!

    Today, lets ask God to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

  • 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

    “And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God.” v.8

    When you aren’t around, how would people describe you?  Would they say you were a person with strong faith and love for God or would their description include something else?  When Paul writes to the Thessalonians, he commends them on their faith.  In fact their faith was so strong that other people were beginning to hear about them.  How did this happen?

    Paul says that in the midst of severe suffering these people accepted the Gospel with Joy.  WOW!  Here is a lesson for us.  The way we respond to the Gospel is important.  In spite of their present surroundings or situations, the Thessalonians received the Gospel with joy. Because of this, they experienced God in new ways and God was using them to influence and inspire others for His Kingdom throughout a region.

    Wow, what would that look like today?  I can only speak for myself, but I so badly want to receive every-part of the Gospel with Joy.  I know that it will penetrate the deepest parts of me, changing me from the inside out.  When this happens, I become available for God to use in ways that I never thought possible.

    Today, will you join me in asking God to be that type of person.  A person that loves God with all my heart, and who has strong faith that inspires others for His Kingdom.  My prayer is that it starts right here with me, and that it starts right here with you.

  • Acts 2:14-40

    “Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?

    38 Peter replied, ‘Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, and to your children, and even to the Gentiles[f]—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” 40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!’” v. 37-40

    After Peter’s powerful, Spirit-filled message, the people were deeply moved and asked, “what should we do?”  This is the basic question we must ask.  It is not enough to be sorry for our sins.  We must repent ask God to forgive us, and then live like forgiven people.  Has God spoken to you through His Word or through the words of another believer?  Like Peter’s audience, ask God what you should do and then obey. – NLT Life Application Study Bible

    Peters first Sermon was powerful.  Why? The truth was told, people were convected of Sin and responded with repentance, and many about 3,000 are baptised and added to the church that day.  The Gospel is so powerful!  How are you responding to it?

  • Mark 6:1-13

    “Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people. And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits.” v. 6-7

    Jesus not only spent time with his disciples, he also sent them out to do ministry.  My NLT Study Bible had this to say in the study notes,

    The disciples were sent out in pairs.  Individually they could have reached more areas of the country, but this was not Christ’s plan.  The advantages in going out twos include:

    1. They could strengthen and encourage each other.
    2. They could provide comfort in rejection.
    3. They could stir each other to action as a counter to idleness or indifference.

    Our strength comes from God, but he meets many of our needs through our teamwork with  others.  As you serve Christ, don’t try to do it alone.

  • Matthew 9:35-38

    “Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.’”

    I don’t think its a mistake that this would be the passage of scripture I read today.  This is a verse I have said over and over in my head while here in Mexico, and while at home preparing for the rip.  However, to be totally honest, it’s starting to get harder and harder to get up because we are going to bed later and later.  Today, as my alarm went off the temptation was to stay in bed.  Don’t get me wrong, this has been a great trip, and God has done some awesome things, but I am ready to see my family and sleep in my own bed.

    The reality is that you don’t have to go to Mexico to play a part in bringing in the harvest.  Yes, Mexico has a great need for workers, and when they do rise up or come, they see a great harvest, but so does the place you live, especially the churches you attend.  Everyday we have the same opportunity to see a harvest.  Jesus says it is great, but the workers are few.  Will you join me in being a worker in the field?  The field includes your home, workplace, school, neighborhood, friendships, and where ever else Jesus sends you.  We can help bring in a great harvest when we allow God to use us in which ever field He places us?

  • Luke 8:26-39

    “So Jesus returned to the boat and left, crossing back to the other side of the lake. The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him home, saying, ‘No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.’ So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him.” v. 37-39

    Jesus, healed and changed this mans life from the inside out.  Everyone was amazed by what they had seen.  Naturally the man wanted to go with Jesus but Jesus had a different plan or him.  Instead of telling him to be quiet, Jesus sent him out to tell others about what God had done for him. The Bible says that he went proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him!

    Today, we have the opportunity to tell others what Jesus has done for us!