Revival Proof Churches Part 1

For the past two days I have shared information on revival-ready churches. For the next two days I want to share Harold Vaughn’s (Christ-Life Ministries) insights into revival-proof churches. Please open your heart today and see if the Holy Spirit is speaking to you:

1. are often prosperous and believe they are in need of nothing. (Rev. 3:1)

2. are happy to remain “lukewarm.” (Rev. 3:15-16)

3. are content to “go through the motions” without an obvious sense of God’s presence.

4. permit false teachers and sensual practices which seduce members with sexual sin. (Rev. 2:20)

5. are content to function apart from their first (foremost) love. (Rev. 2:4)

6. overlook gross doctrinal error. (Rev. 2:15)

7. are satisfied with the appearance of and reputation for spiritual vitality without the reality. (Rev. 3:1)

8. tolerate immorality among members rather than confront it. (Rev. 2:14)

9. lack the fear of God and ignore the threat of being “spued out” by God. (Rev. 3:16)

10. are dull of hearing and seldom hear the speaking voice of God. (Rev. 3:20; Heb 3:7-8)

11. refuse to “repent” (change their minds) of sin. (Rev. 3:3)

12. practice selective obedience determined by the prevailing culture and possible negative outcomes. (Pro. 29:25)

13. operate without divine expectancy.

14. don’t expect any divine interruptions. (Rom 14:23)

15. are pleased with “business as usual” instead of the “unusual business of revival.” (2 Tim 3:5)

16. elect to overlook “sin in the camp.” (Josh 7:1)

Thought provoking insight for sure. Think about it and pray it through. — Bill Welte is President & CEO of America’s Keswick

Team YOU: Psalm 140-142; Proverbs 3; 1 Corinthians 14:1-20

Motivations: At God’s counter there are no ” SALE DAYS,” for the price of revival is ever the same -TRAVAIL. Leonard Ravenhill

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 4:4-5; Level 2: Philippians 4:1-7

Powered Up: “The One who instructed us to ‘be still and know that I am God’ must hurt when He witnesses our frantic, compulsive agitated motions. In place of a quiet, responsive spirit we offer Him an inner washing machine – churning with anxiety, clogged with too much activity, and spilling over with resentment and impatience. Sometimes He must watch our convulsions with an inner sigh.” – Charles Swindoll

Revival Ready Churches  Part 2

Here’s part two of Pastor Harold Vaughn’s list of Revival Ready Churches:

17. do not worship the past—they prepare for the future.

18. believe the “best days” are in front of us.

19. reject “tradition for tradition’s sake” and “change for change’s sake” –and welcome both for Jesus’ sake.

20. are oblivious to the state of other churches because they are painfully aware of their own overwhelming needs. (1 Cor. 4:5)

21. long for Jesus to be in their midst. (John 20:19)

22. no longer “circle the wagons” –they long for Kingdom advance. (Mat. 6:10)

23. preach strong doctrine, but they don’t worship it.

24. understand that “teaching” is vitally important, but insist on “adorn(ing) the doctrine of God” with proper attitudes and actions. (Tit. 2:10)

25. desire God’s presence and power.

26. have abandoned “religious politics” and have opted for that “one thing” which “is needful.” (Lk. 10:42)

27. are led by servant leaders who fear God more than men.

28. turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers. (Mal. 4:6)

29. concentrate on strengthening family unity.

30. reject the notion that rebellion is a normal part of growing up. (1 Sam. 15:23)

31. emphasize the Father’s house is a house of prayer.

32. are extremely generous. (2 Cor. 9:7)

33. are committed to principle and have abandoned religious politics.

34. despise a “form of godliness” –they desire God’s power. (2 Tim. 3:5)

35. are careful to not let things slide—they heed the speaking voice of God.

The hymn-writer of the classic hymn, SEARCH ME, O GOD penned these words:

O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee;
Send a revival, start the work in ME!

Are you ready for revival? Maybe, just maybe it needs to start with you and me! – Bill Welte is President & CEO of America’s Keswick

Team YOU: Psalm 137-139; Proverbs 2; 1 Corinthians 13

Motivations: Often you hear the quote “The Lord helps those who help themselves”, and most people assume this is from the Bible. It’s not. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” Proverbs 3:5-6 G. MacKenzie Strickland

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 4:4-5; Level 2: Philippians 4:1-7

Powered Up:  A child of God can grieve Jesus in no worse way than to neglect prayer. O. Hallesby

Revival-Ready Churches

Happy Labor Day!!! I trust you and your family will have a super day! Can’t believe we are in the month of September already!

This summer we were privileged to have Rev. Harold Vaughn of Christ Life Ministries with us as a conference speaker. In his recent newsletter, he shared some insights into Revival-Ready Churches that I will share the next few days. Great stuff to chew on:

1.  may be poor or prosperous, but they feel they are in need of everything.

2. refuse the “lukewarm” option. (Rev. 3:15-16)

3. refuse to function unless Jesus has the preeminence. (Col. 1:18)

4. expose false teaching and remove evil influences which cause God’s people to stumble. (Rev. 2:20-23)

5. are still amazed by God’s love and grace.

6. strive to “rightly divide” the Word of truth and apply it practically. (2 Tim. 2:15)

7. are dead to public opinion and desperate for vital union with God.

8. love God and men enough to confront (care-front) immorality among its members.

9. fear God and understand there is no such thing as “eternal security” for a local    church. (Rev. 2:5)

10. are on speaking terms with God and attentive to His voice. (Heb. 4:7)

11. heed the corrective bite of Scripture and repent often. (Rev. 3:19)

12. seek to practice total obedience regardless of possible outcomes. (John 14:15)

13. operate in an atmosphere of expectancy. (Heb. 10:22)

14. anticipate divine interventions.

15. are sickened by “business as usual” and long for the “unusual business of revival.”

16. love God more than they fear men so they follow the Biblical pattern regarding church discipline. (Mat. 18:15-17)

While this may be true of the church (corporate) – is it true of you? Are YOU ready for revival? I will share the next part of the list tomorrow. – Bill Welte is President & CEO of America’s Keswick

Team YOU: Psalm 135-136; Proverbs 1; 1 Corinthians 12

Motivations: God does not lead His children around hardship, but leads them straight through hardship. But He leads! And amidst the hardship, He is nearer to them than ever before. Otto Dibelius

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 4:4-5; Level 2: Philippians 4:1-7

Powered Up:  The neglect of prayer is a grand hindrance to holiness. John Wesley

Prayer about the Impossible

But he [Jesus] said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27)

For the past several weeks we have concluded our blog week with a prayer. Today’s prayer was written by Pastor Scotty Smith from Christ Church in Tennessee. Scotty was mentored by the late Dr. John C. Miller, founder of New Life Presbyterian Churches in Bucks County, PA, and World Harvest Mission:

Gracious Jesus, you offered these words of hope to disciples trying to picture a camel squeezing through the eye of a needle. You speak the same words to me in light of many situations for which I need to accept my limitations and lay hold of your sufficiency.

I begin this day remembering that your commitment is to make all things new, not make all new things. There is an enormous difference between the two. Indeed, Jesus, you’ve placed us in a story of restoration, not replacement. You

are actively at work in the broken places and among broken people, including me. Through your resurrection, we’ve been given great assurance and hope for a redeemed universe. This is incredibly good news—the best news ever.

The hard news is that I have to accept that many things are impossible for me. My best intentions, efforts, and resources are simply not enough. I see this especially in my relationships. This requires a humility and faith the gospel alone can provide.

Grant me both, Jesus; grant me both. I cannot change me, so why do I assume the omnipotence to fix others? As much as I long to see friends freed from addictions, marriages brought back from the brink of death, and stubborn people made gentle and kind, Jesus, you alone have the power of resurrection.

Maybe the greater challenge will be for you to make me a patient, caring, present friend. Please show me the first nose hair of this camel poking through a needle’s eye. Hasten the day of perfect newness in my heart. I pray in your majestic name. Amen.
Smith, Scotty (2011-09-01). Everyday Prayers for a Transformed Life: 365 Days to Gospel-Centered Faith (Kindle Locations 6110-6122). Baker Book Group. Kindle Edition.

Have a great weekend! – Bill Welte is President & CEO of America’s Keswick

Team YOU: Psalm 132-134; Proverbs 31; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Motivations: God is very patient. It took him years to teach me to say two words:

“Lord, anything!” Douglas Brown

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 3:13-14; Level 2: Philippians 3:17-21

Powered Up:  — tell God what you know He knows in order that you may get to know it as He does. – Oswald Chambers

Redeeming the Time

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15–16

Today’s devotional is from the pen of Drs. Henry and Richard Blackaby. It is a good reminder to you and me to use our time wisely. BW

These days we are bombarded with opportunities that entice us to invest our time and energy. Each day the voices of urgency cry out for every available moment. So many causes promise that time spent on them will reap great rewards; how can we recognize God’s voice among so many competing voices?

A fool makes unwise choices with his time. With every new opportunity that comes along, the fool chases off in a different direction, not questioning whether that is the best choice. The loudest voice gains his attention. At some point the fool discovers to his dismay that he has squandered the investment of his time.

The days in which you live are evil. Marriages are under tremendous pressure; families are disintegrating. Multitudes are dying each year without hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Investing your life wisely is critical to you and to those around you. Foolishly spending your time in sinful or wasteful pursuits can cost you and others dearly. Often, it is not evil pursuits that rob your time. Rather, the temptation is to sacrifice what is best for what is good.

The enemy knows that blatantly tempting you with evil will be obvious, so he will lure you with distractions, leaving you no time to carry out God’s will. He will tempt you to so fill your schedule with good things that you have no time for God’s best.

You may inadvertently substitute religious activity for God’s will, pursuing your own goals for God’s kingdom instead of waiting for His assignment. Time is a precious commodity. Be sure to invest it wisely. – Drs. Richard and Henry Blackaby

Blackaby, Richard (2006-12-01). Experiencing God Day By Day (Kindle Locations 4164-4169). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Team YOU: Psalm 129-131; Proverbs 30; 1 Corinthians 11:1-16

Motivations: Your own efforts did not bring it to pass, only God – but rejoice if God found a use for your efforts in His work. Meister Eckhart

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 3:13-14; Level 2: Philippians 3:17-21

Powered Up:  The prayer of the saints is never self-important, but always God important.

THE HOT WATER BOTTLE – a True Story by Helen Roseveare, Missionary in Africa

This is rather long today, but too good to pass up. My friend, Dr. Roger Carswell shared this story at America’s Keswick. Since it is long, I want to encourage you not to hit delete. You will be blessed. I will leave off the extra stuff I normally post just for today:

One night, in Central Africa, I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all that we could do, she died leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying, two-year-old daughter.

We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive. We had no incubator. We had no electricity to run an incubator, and no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts.

A student-midwife went for the box we had for such babies and for the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly, in distress, to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst. Rubber perishes easily in tropical climates.  “…and it is our last water bottle!” she exclaimed.  As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk; so, in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over a burst water bottle. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down the forest pathways. “All right,” I said, “Put the baby as near the fire as you safely can; sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm.” 

The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with many of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle. The baby could so easily die if it got chilled. I also told them about the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died. During the prayer time, one ten-year-one girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt consciousness of our African children, “Please, God,” she prayed, “send us a water bottle. It’ll be no good tomorrow, God, the baby’ll be dead; so, please send it this afternoon.” While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added by way of corollary, “…And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she’ll know You really love her?”  As often with children’s prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say, “Amen?”  I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything: the Bible says so, but there are limits, aren’t there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!

Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses’ training school, a message was sent that there was a car at the front door. By the time that I reached home, the care had gone, but there, on the veranda, was a large twenty-two pound parcel! I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone; so, I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear in unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty of forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then, there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children began to look a little bored. Next, came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas – – that would make a nice batch of buns for the weekend. As I put my hand in again, I felt the…could it really be? I grasped it, and pulled it out. Yes, “A brand-new rubber, hot water bottle!” I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, “If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!” Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone: She had never doubted! Looking up at me, she asked, “Can I go over with you, Mummy, and give this dolly to that little girl, so she’ll know that Jesus really loves her?”

That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday School class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God’s prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. One of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child – five months earlier in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it “That afternoon!” “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24

Helen Roseveare, a doctor missionary from England to Zaire, Africa, told this as it had happened to her in Africa.

Great story? Trust it blessed your heart!

Here are some random thoughts on prayer.

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 14:13

As a teenager, I began to realize that most of my prayers were telling God what I wanted. When I realized that God is sovereign and will do as he wills I decided not to bother him with my prayers since he knows better than I do.

Thus I decided I would not tell God how to run his universe. After several weeks of not speaking to God, I realized that my heavenly father, like my earthly father, would like for me to talk to him. So I began to pray and spend more time telling God how I feel toward him, the confidence that I have in him and generally coming to understand the Almighty God.

Later, while in Bible school, I learned an even better lesson. Since no one paid my way, I took a job on the Pennsylvania Railroad. One snowy Sunday I was in the office and a train had broken down on the Main line. I needed to call out a crew to go down and pick up the train. I could not reach the trainmaster to get his permission although I tried.

I ended up calling out a crew and on the bottom of the pay voucher I signed my name. I did not feel that it would be right for me to sign the trainmaster’s name when he had not called out the crew.

A week or two later I reported at four o’clock to do my job and the train master said, “who is Mr. Van Sandt?”  When I answered, he called me into his office only to ask me why I had signed the pay voucher. He made it very clear that the only name that belongs at the bottom of the voucher was his name.

The same is true in prayer – the only name is His name! – Pastor Van is an interim pastor and Christian counselor. He is a Keswick friend and partner.

Team YOU: Psalm 123-125; Proverbs 28; 1 Corinthians 10:1-18

Motivations: I’m taking the Lord at His word, and I’m trusting Him to prove His Word. It’s kind of like putting all your eggs in one basket, but we’ve already put our trust in Him for salvation, so why not do it as far as our life is concerned?  Ed McCully

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 3:13-14; Level 2: Philippians 3:17-21 

Powered Up:  In regards to prayer we are apt to be apologetic and apathetic, complex and confused; yet what a splendid audacity a childlike child has! And that is what our Lord taught us to have.

Down a Narrow Path…Yielding!

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” Gal 5:16-17 (ESV)

So with the teenagers safely tucked away at America’s Keswick (serving on summer staff) my wife and I took a short drive to Bar Harbor, Maine. We did have a brief pit stop at Cape Cod and that lead me to discover a new food group…lobstah!! They were good with drawn butter. But I was getting the impression they thought I was messy because they insisted I wear a bib. Anyway it was onward to Maine where we discovered the narrow paths of Acadia National Park. For the record there is a rock just waiting to be pushed off a cliff. It’s called Bubble Rock and I think it won’t take much to get it over the edge.(say hello to Mr. Dyn-o-mite!!)

As I walked these narrow paths and people started to walk towards me I began to think about how important it is to yield to others. Because if you don’t someone could take a long tumble down a rocky mountain side into the waters of the North Atlantic and they will experience new levels of pain along the way. But then God prompted me to think about not just yielding to people but to the yielding of self to His spirit. To think that this yielding will happen as we try to walk in the Spirit took a little bit to ponder over but I believe I could put it like this.

Paul gives this fitting advice to the Galatians because he would have observed that to “walk in the Spirit” is a standard of faith when God’s Word is allowed to be a “lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path”. We stop walking without being guiding and submit ourselves to He who is the ultimate guide. We stop crashing and bumping into things of the world and the path is made clear in the way of holiness and righteousness. Because of this part of the yielding we can walk uprightly and realize that we need to depend on His grace and strength the whole of our walk and in the salt of our conversations.

Then we can begin to exercise within the graces of the Spirit of God. You see it will be the bumping and crashing of the world along our path that God allows to strengthen our faith in our saving grace knowledge of Jesus Christ. Be there any pruning needed along these paths of Acadia National Park man just does it, even if doesn’t bring on any fruit. But when He does the pruning along the paths He is guiding us on we get the fruits of humility, lowliness of mind and meekness. And when that occurs in our daily walk getting out of the way comes naturally and dare I say…joyfully?

Walking and yielding at the same time, hmm? Well I can tell that if you are on the streets of Bar Harbor, Maine there is a lot of the two going on. But if you are planning to walk in the Spirit be prepared to yield to His Spirit as well. There are a few of us that haven’t done that and we have taken that tumbling down a mountain side into a sea of despair experiencing new levels of pain. The best thing we can do while walking down the narrow path is to walk with a readiness to yield. It’s an obedient way, that may not be our way…but it is His way. Amen? – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a frequent Freedom Fighter blogger

Team YOU: Psalm 120-122; Proverbs 27; 1 Corinthians 9

Motivations: “We never move beyond our need for grace. Therefore let us trust God for great things in our little faith, and let us not be paralyzed by what is left to be done in our personal lives, and in our church, and in our vocations, and in global cause of missions.”—John Piper

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 3:13-14; Level 2: Philippians 3:17-21

Powered Up:  The purpose of prayer is to reveal the presence of God equally present all the time in every condition. Oswald Chambers

 

 

 

Continual Repentance

On Tuesday I blogged from Dr. Henry Blackaby’s devotional on repentance of sin. If you missed it, go back and check it out.

As we bring this week to a close, here was today’s prayer that I read from The Valley of Vision – Prayers of the Puritans on this very subject:

O God of grace,

You have imputed my sin to my substitute, and have imputed His righteousness to my soul, clothing me with a bridegroom’s robe, decking me with jewels of holiness.

But in my Christian walk I am still in rags; my best prayers are stained with sin, my penitential tears are so much impurity; my confessions of wrong are so many aggravations of sin; my receiving the Spirit is tinctured with selfishness.

I need to repent of my repentance;
I need my tears to be washed;
I have no robe to bring to cover my sins, no loom to weave my own righteousness.

I am always standing clothed in filthy garments, and by grace am always receiving change of raiment, for You always justify the ungodly.

I am always going into the far country, and always returning home as a prodigal, always saying, Father, forgive me, and You are always bringing for the best robe.

Every morning let me wear it, every evening return to it, go out to the day’s work in it, be married in it, be bound in death in it, stand before the great white throne in it, enter heaven in it shining as the sun.

Grant me never to lose sight of
the exceeding sinfulness of sin,
the exceeding righteousness of salvation
the exceeding glory of Christ,
the exceeding beauty of holiness,
the exceeding wonder of grace! Amen

Wow, that is powerful! That’s my prayer today. How about you? – Bill Welte is President & CEO of America’s Keswick

Team YOU: Psalm 116-118; Proverbs 24; 1 Corinthians 7:1-19

Motivations: Our trusting the Lord does not mean that there are not times of tears. I think it is a mistake as Christians to act as though trusting the Lord and tears are not compatible. Francis A. Schaeffer

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 3:12; Level 2: Philippians 3:12-16

Powered Up:  Prayer is the evidence that I am spiritually concentrated on God, when to forethink is but to pray about everything, and to live in actual conditions is to be thankful in anything. Oswald Chambers

THE ROTTEN TATER FAMILY – Which Spud Family are YOU?

While writing this week’s blogs, I was listening to the worship service from Moody Church. Dr. Lutzer shared a version of this story which I couldn’t resist sharing.

Maybe you have met these two families in your church?

DICK TATER – He is the self-appointed leader. He has taken it upon himself to keep everyone else in their place by telling them what to do and when to do it. He feels it is his responsibility to keep everyone else straight.

SPECK TATER – When asked to participate in teamwork or projects, Speck says no. He says he just spectates. He comes, he watches, he goes home. He sees the needs but he figures it’s someone else’s job.

AGI TATER – She keeps things stirred up by spreading some tale or story around about someone else. She is always ready with telephone in hand, ready to share the latest juicy story or tidbit about someone else. Agi- Tater really is a small-minded person with little or no self-worth. She feels that the only way she can look good is to make everyone else look bad.

HEZZI TATER – He is one that is never willing to make a decision. He is paralyzed by the fear of failure and is terrified by life’s “what ifs.” He is usually the last to join in and the first to bail out at any sign of trouble.

REGURGA TATER – He always brings things up from the past that did not agree with him. He is always looking back at how wonderful things were yesterday and how terrible things are today. Regurga-Tater is living in the past and missing the future; and while his head is turned towards yesterday, he is missing the opportunities for today.

COMMON TATER – All he ever does is talk about what needs to be done. He talks about what was done wrong and how he could have done it better; however, that is all he does: talk. An old Indian proverb would have described this tater as, “All thunder, no rain.”

THE GOOD TATER FAMILY

SWEET TATER -This person is an active team player. They have a sweet spirit and always finds the good in things . . . even when they have to look hard for it.“Finally, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly and proper. Always focus on what is worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8

EMMY TATER – This is one who found a successful person of integrity and modeled themselves after that person. There is a great deal of emphasis on mentoring – it is great when you have someone to follow. By the way, be careful, there are people imitating you! “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1

FACILI TATER – This person is interested in helping others succeed. They want to see people grow and develop. They take great joy in helping people accomplish things and being successful. They enjoy helping people grow. “Encourage anyone who feels left out, help all who are weak, and be patient with everyone. Be good to each other and to everyone else.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15

RO TATER – This is a person who will rotate from one job to the next. They are willing to serve in whatever capacity asked. Wherever this person is and whatever one asks this person to do, you can rest assured that they will do it to the best of their ability and with a smile on their face. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person. Do not be jealous, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves. Care about them as much as you care about yourself! Philippians 2:2-4

Which family are you? – Bill Welte is President & CEO of America’s Keswick

Team YOU: Psalm 113-115; Proverbs 23; 1 Corinthians 6

Motivations: Not yesterday’s load we are called on to bear, Nor the morrow’s uncertain and shadowy care; Why should we look forward or back with dismay? Our needs, as our mercies, are but for the day. Annie Johnson Flint

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 3:12; Level 2: Philippians 3:12-16

Powered Up:  Avoid every tendency away from the simplicity of relationship to God in Christ Jesus, and then prayer will be as the breath of the lungs in a healthy body. Oswald Chambers