Dan Gould

Tag: Your Love Never Fails by Jesus Culture

  • Bible Challenge – Genesis 3

    “The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” v.1 (NLT)

    Have you ever doubted something? Doubt causes us to question what we believe to be true and sometimes question what we know to be right.  Satan, uses doubt to cause us to question the things of God.  For the person who doesn’t know God, he uses doubt to cause you to question the existence of God and the character of God. As a believer, he will use things from you past, to try to keep you from living in the new life that is found in Christ. He does this so you doubt God’s power and your witness.

    Doubt is crippling and if we are not careful, we can fall victim to it very easily! Satan wants nothing more than to lead us astray and keep us unsure of the things of God.  Here are five ways things Satan uses against us to keep us from experiencing God in the way He desires us to know Him.

    • Doubt – Makes me question God’s Word and His goodness
    • Discouragement – Makes me look at my problems rather that at God
    • Diversion – Makes the wrong things seem attractive so that I will want them more than the right things
    • Defeat – Makes me feel like a failure so that I don’t even try
    • Delay – Makes me put off doing something so that it never gets done

    Have you experienced any of these? Where we tend to focus is what we tend to go toward.  If you are feeling or experiencing any of these things, ask God for wisdom and help.  He’s closer than you think and desires to hear from you and help.

    Today, have you let Satan lead you away from God. It usually start’s small with a simple question, “Did God Really …?” Satan will attack us in these ways. The only way to stand against it is to seek the Truth and ask God for clarity, understanding, wisdom, and deliverance.

      

  • Bible Challenge – Mark 14

    “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” v 38 (NLT)

    Let’s be honest, we may not face execution for our faith, but we will probably face many problems that wear us down.  We deal with irritating people whom we must love and serve; we face the burden of unfinished tasks or lack of obvious results; we cope with helpers who let us down of fail to comprehend.  Remember that in times of great stress, we are vulnerable to temptation, even if we have a willing spirit.  Jesus explained how to resist this from happening:

    1. Keep Watch – stay awake and be morally vigilant
    2. Pray to God – this is how to maintain your vigilance
    3. Seek support of friends and loved ones – this is how you build up your resistance and help others; when one is weak, others are strong.
    4. Focus on the purpose God has given you – This is how you do Gods will not your own.
    Today, stay a step ahead of temptation by praying and knowing your triggers.  Trust the Lord and call out to Him! Fight the temptation with the power given by the Holy Spirit!

  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 12

    “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” v.30 (NLT)

    Simply put, you either align your life with Christ or you don’t.  There is no half in and half out when it comes to the Christian life.  Jesus commands total surrender and allegiance to Him and Him alone.  It doesn’t mean that we will be perfect or we wont have times where we stumble.  It simply means that we understand our need for Him and desire to live in a way that pleases Him and not ourselves.

    Today, will you stand with Him, or will you stand against Him?

  • Bible Challenge – 1 Corinthians 5

    “It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning.” v.12 (NLT)

    This is a difficult passage to read not just be cause it talks about sexual sin, but because it points out how we are to deal with those that claim to be Christ-Followers but continue to live in sin. Sin is serious and we can’t avoid it or it will run wild through our lives and if it’s not addressed it will run wild in our church causing our church to lose its witness in the community.

    This is challenging because we want to be accepting of all people, and let’s be honest, confronting someone of sin is difficult.  However, it may be the very thing that God uses to convict and correct their behavior and in the process grow you to greater maturity.  Remember, the goal is always to point people to Jesus and to challenge believers to become more like Him. Before you look outside at others, make sure you have looked inside at yourself. If you are struggling in a sin talk to someone who can listen to you, pray for you, encourage you, challenge you and hold you accountable. In this, is the authentic community that Jesus Rescued!

    Today, what do you need to confess and who do you need to challenge?