Dan Gould

Tag: Stronger by Hillsong United

  • Bible Challenge – Genesis 17

    “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. 2 I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.’” v.1-2 (NLT)

    This wasn’t the first time God and Abram have ever chatted. But this time God doesn’t just make a promise, he makes a covenant with him. A covenant and promise are very similar but also very different. A promise is God simply saying that He will do something. A covenant is God saying He will do something but also demands something from us. When God appears to Abram, he ask’s him to “Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.” The call is the same for us today. God asks us to serve Him faithfully and to live a blameless life. Lets look at these two a little closer.

    Serving Faithfully can simply be defined by our obedience and disciplines. However, these are outward expressions of having a relationship with Christ. It’s not just doing something for the Lord, its being who the Lord wants us to be. The only way we can do both, is simply spending time with Him on a regular basis through worship, prayer, Bible Reading. It’s hard to know someone you don’t spend much time with.

    Living Blamelessly is a matter of purity. Purity encompasses our thoughts, actions, motives, heart and much much more. Many times when we think of purity we simply think of purity from sexual things. But purity actually involves every aspect of your life.

    Today, Would OTHERS describe you as a person who is Serving God faithfully and living a blameless life? Would YOU describe you as a person who is Serving God faithfully and living a blameless life? Most importantly, would GOD describe you as a person who is Serving Him faithfully and living a blameless life?

  • Bible Challenge – Mark 3

     “A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse. Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart.” v.24-25 (NLT)

    How many times have we let little disagreements turn into large wars within families, friendships, and even the church?  It’s not wrong to disagree, but how we handle the disagreement says a lot about our Character, Integrity, and Unity.  Some people tend to always look for things to argue about and it limits the potential of the relationship, puts strife on the relationship, and eventually cause it to fall apart.  However, learning how to disagree and still love each other through the disagreement, is the sign of strength and commitment to the relationship or vision.  It requires Grace and Forgiveness not just in word, but in action. 

    Today, is there a relationship that needs to be restored? Are you letting a little thing become a big thing by not talking about it? Pray and ask God to help you resolve the issue by talking with the other person and begin the process of restoration.

  • 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 – Romans 7

    I have discovered this principle of life – that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. Romans 7:21 (NLT)

    Have you been here? It’s almost as if Paul was watching my life and talking about himself so I would see the reality of who I really am.  Let’s face it, sometimes its easier to hide behind our good stuff and not deal with the things that are sinful and causing us to stumble.  I have good intentions and desire to be more like Christ and but seem to get tripped up with certain things over and over again.   Thank goodness my relationship with God is not dependent on what I do, but dependent on what Christ has done for me, past present and future. Now, this doesn’t give me an excuse to keep on sinning, but gives me the confidence that when I do mess up, I can seek God, ask for forgiveness, repent of that sin, and have a fresh start.

    This also shows me how much I need a Savior. Because I have a sinful nature, I have to remember it is natural for us to sin. This is why the Bible talks so much about the fight that is going on over every thought, action, and re-action you make.  There is a spiritual battle going on that I feel, but may never physically see. When I listen to the Spirit, I am able to fight against these desires more effectively.  This is why it is so important to know God’s Word. When I know God’s Word, I have a better chance of standing my ground when temptation comes my way. It’s not a matter of if temptation comes, it’s a matter of when temptation comes, the real question is, will I be ready?

    Father today, let me have a deeper understanding of the work that you are doing in my life. Help me to know you in a deeper way, help me to appreciate what you have done for me in a way that reflects how I live. Let me not take the Cross for-granted. Help me to stay in your Word, so I can know Your Word, and Your Word can change me from the inside out. By doing this, I will be more prepared to stand my ground the next time the enemy tries to tempt in the areas that I seem to fall victim to over and over again. I pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

    When you read Romans 7 what speaks to you?

     

  • 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.