Welcome to Christ Journal

‘If two of you…agree about anything.’ Matthew 18:19 NIV Sometimes you need somebody to agree with you in prayer; somebody who knows how to stand on God’s Word and intercede with Him for your finances, your children, your marriage, etc. James had just been executed and Herod was planning to kill Peter in the morning. Now, you’d think Peter would have been up all night praying, but he wasn’t. The Bible says he was sleeping (Acts 12:6). Where did he get that kind of faith? The Bible says: ‘The church was earnestly praying to God for him’ (Acts 12:5 NIV). Any time you can sleep in the face of danger and experience grace in the midst of chaos, it’s one of two things: 1) You know God well, you’re standing on His promises and you’ve handed the situation over to Him. 2) Somebody is praying for you, somebody with ‘clout’ in the heavenly realm. Notice, the church didn’t say, ‘If Peter was in God’s will, he wouldn’t be in this mess right now,’ or ‘Since Peter’s in jail, who’s going to preach for

‘If two of you…agree about anything.’ Matthew 18:19 NIV Sometimes you need somebody to agree with you in prayer; somebody who knows how to stand on God’s Word and intercede with Him for your finances, your children, your marriage, etc. James had just been executed and Herod was planning to kill Peter in the morning. Now, you’d think Peter would have been up all night praying, but he wasn’t. The Bible says he was sleeping (Acts 12:6). Where did he get that kind of faith? The Bible says: ‘The church was earnestly praying to God for him’ (Acts 12:5 NIV). Any time you can sleep in the face of danger and experience grace in the midst of chaos, it’s one of two things: 1) You know God well, you’re standing on His promises and you’ve handed the situation over to Him. 2) Somebody is praying for you, somebody with ‘clout’ in the heavenly realm. Notice, the church didn’t say, ‘If Peter was in God’s will, he wouldn’t be in this mess right now,’ or ‘Since Peter’s in jail, who’s going to preach for

Look for the honey! In their book, The Laws of Lifetime Growth, authors Dan Sullivan and Catherine Nomura explain, ‘Continual learning is essential for lifetime growth. You can have a great deal of experience and be no smarter for all the things you’ve done, seen, and heard. Experience alone is no guarantee of lifetime growth. But if you regularly transform your experiences into new lessons, you’ll make each day of your life a source of growth. The smartest people are those who can transform even the smallest events or situations into breakthroughs in thinking and action. Look at all of life as a school and every experience as a lesson, and your learning will always be greater than your experience.’ In an old Peanuts cartoon, Charles Schulz shows Charlie Brown at the beach building a magnificent sandcastle. It’s a work of art. As he stands back to admire it, it is suddenly destroyed by a big wave. In the last frame he says, ‘There must be a lesson here, but for the life of me I don’t k

Look for the honey! In their book, The Laws of Lifetime Growth, authors Dan Sullivan and Catherine Nomura explain, ‘Continual learning is essential for lifetime growth. You can have a great deal of experience and be no smarter for all the things you’ve done, seen, and heard. Experience alone is no guarantee of lifetime growth. But if you regularly transform your experiences into new lessons, you’ll make each day of your life a source of growth. The smartest people are those who can transform even the smallest events or situations into breakthroughs in thinking and action. Look at all of life as a school and every experience as a lesson, and your learning will always be greater than your experience.’ In an old Peanuts cartoon, Charles Schulz shows Charlie Brown at the beach building a magnificent sandcastle. It’s a work of art. As he stands back to admire it, it is suddenly destroyed by a big wave. In the last frame he says, ‘There must be a lesson here, but for the life of me I don’t k

DL Moody became a spokesman for God and a changer of nations. But if you'd met him early in life you wouldn't have thought it was possible. Although he was raised in church, he was spiritually ignorant. When he moved to Boston he began attending a Bible-preaching church. In April of 1855, a Sunday school teacher came to the shoe shop where he worked and led him to Christ. A month later, when he applied to become a member of that church, it was clear that he knew nothing about the Bible. One of his Sunday school teacher later wrote, 'I've never met anyone who seemed less likely to become a Christian of clear and decided views, much less fill any place of public usefulness,' So they asked him to take a year of Bible study. During his interview with the membership committee a year later, his answers were only slightly improved. He was barely literate and used atrocious grammer. Nobody on that church committee thought God would ever use him. But they were wrong. And the

DL Moody became a spokesman for God and a changer of nations. But if you'd met him early in life you wouldn't have thought it was possible. Although he was raised in church, he was spiritually ignorant. When he moved to Boston he began attending a Bible-preaching church. In April of 1855, a Sunday school teacher came to the shoe shop where he worked and led him to Christ. A month later, when he applied to become a member of that church, it was clear that he knew nothing about the Bible. One of his Sunday school teacher later wrote, 'I've never met anyone who seemed less likely to become a Christian of clear and decided views, much less fill any place of public usefulness,' So they asked him to take a year of Bible study. During his interview with the membership committee a year later, his answers were only slightly improved. He was barely literate and used atrocious grammer. Nobody on that church committee thought God would ever use him. But they were wrong. And the

When it comes to emptation, remember these seven things: 1) Never say 'never.' You never become so spiritual that you're immune. 'No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be abble to bear it' ( 1 corinthians 10:13 NKJV). 2) Realise you can stumble on the last lap. Because you haven't blown it yet, doesn't mean you can't. satan is a master of timing, and he's in no particular hurry. 3) Acknowledge your basic drives. St Augustine said, 'There is nothing more powerful in bringing down the spirit of a man the caresses of a woman. ' Your flesh is powerful; once indulged it will always want more. 4) Understand that you are responsible. Sin is a choice. When you chose to abuse God's grace you pay the price, either now or later. 'Do not be deceived...whatever a man

When it comes to emptation, remember these seven things: 1) Never say 'never.' You never become so spiritual that you're immune. 'No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be abble to bear it' ( 1 corinthians 10:13 NKJV). 2) Realise you can stumble on the last lap. Because you haven't blown it yet, doesn't mean you can't. satan is a master of timing, and he's in no particular hurry. 3) Acknowledge your basic drives. St Augustine said, 'There is nothing more powerful in bringing down the spirit of a man the caresses of a woman. ' Your flesh is powerful; once indulged it will always want more. 4) Understand that you are responsible. Sin is a choice. When you chose to abuse God's grace you pay the price, either now or later. 'Do not be deceived...whatever a man

Everything that can go wrong has! Your teenager pierced his nose, the dog threw up on the carpet, the toilet’s overflowing, and the car’s leaking fluid. No wonder you’re stressed! When life gets overwhelming remember: (1) God’s still looking out for you. When things look bad, remind yourself that God’s bigger than your problem: ‘Don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.’ (2) Don’t think about quitting! Every time you reach the breaking point it’s a test. You have before you a series of choices that will add up to either quitting or persevering through to victory. Paul was flogged, thrown in jail, shipwrecked and run out of town, but he refused to give in to circumstances and in the end he was able to say, ‘I have fought the good fight…finished the race, and… remained faithful’ (2 Timothy 4:7 NLT). (3) If it doesn’t have your name on it, don’t pick it up! Stress comes from micro-managing o

David said, ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.’ A thankful heart should be a way of life for us. But did you know that it can save your life? When Jonah disobeyed God and ended up inside the whale, he told the Lord, ‘I will sacrifice to You with…thanksgiving’ (Jonah 2:9 NKJV). When he did, God made the fish spit him up on dry land. When you’re in the pits and all hell is breaking loose around you, that’s when you need to raise your voice in praise. Nothing demonstrates trust, like thanking God when you’re in the throes of crisis. A thankful heart does two things: 1) It builds your faith. The reason ‘we [can] walk by faith [and] not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7 NAS), is because we know that regardless of the circumstances, God’s working on our behalf (Romans 8:28). David said, ‘Magnify the Lord with me’(Psalms 34:3). To magnify something is to enlarge it. When you focus on God instead of the problem, God becomes bigger and the problem become

David said, ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.’ A thankful heart should be a way of life for us. But did you know that it can save your life? When Jonah disobeyed God and ended up inside the whale, he told the Lord, ‘I will sacrifice to You with…thanksgiving’ (Jonah 2:9 NKJV). When he did, God made the fish spit him up on dry land. When you’re in the pits and all hell is breaking loose around you, that’s when you need to raise your voice in praise. Nothing demonstrates trust, like thanking God when you’re in the throes of crisis. A thankful heart does two things: 1) It builds your faith. The reason ‘we [can] walk by faith [and] not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7 NAS), is because we know that regardless of the circumstances, God’s working on our behalf (Romans 8:28). David said, ‘Magnify the Lord with me’(Psalms 34:3). To magnify something is to enlarge it. When you focus on God instead of the problem, God becomes bigger and the problem become

If you’re finding it hard to forgive yourself for something you’ve done in the past, it may be that you’re reaping what you have sown. And it’s particularly hard (but not impossible) to keep from feeling bad when you’ve condemned somebody else for doing the same thing. Here’s a scriptural truth you need to understand, accept and live by: as long as you’re alive you will have to keep forgiving yourself and others! When guilt and condemnation tell you your sins are too big for God’s forgiveness, remember what Paul said: ‘Jesus…came…to save sinners. I’m proof – Public Sinner Number One …someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy…evidence of his endless patience.’ Before his conversion Paul persecuted the church, killing and torturing believers. It’s how he made his living! And if he could learn to forgive himself, you can too! In fact, when you don’t you’re implying that your transgressions are beyond the scope of God’s grace to forgive and Jesus’ blood to cleanse. And th

If you’re finding it hard to forgive yourself for something you’ve done in the past, it may be that you’re reaping what you have sown. And it’s particularly hard (but not impossible) to keep from feeling bad when you’ve condemned somebody else for doing the same thing. Here’s a scriptural truth you need to understand, accept and live by: as long as you’re alive you will have to keep forgiving yourself and others! When guilt and condemnation tell you your sins are too big for God’s forgiveness, remember what Paul said: ‘Jesus…came…to save sinners. I’m proof – Public Sinner Number One …someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy…evidence of his endless patience.’ Before his conversion Paul persecuted the church, killing and torturing believers. It’s how he made his living! And if he could learn to forgive himself, you can too! In fact, when you don’t you’re implying that your transgressions are beyond the scope of God’s grace to forgive and Jesus’ blood to cleanse. And th

A little boy who'd been rude to his Mum started sneaking off upstairs. 'Where you going, young man?' she asked. 'To my room to talk to God,' he replied. 'Isn't there something you want to tell me first?' she said. 'Nope,' he said, 'You'll just get mad. God will forgive me and forget about it.' Long after you think you've forgiven somebody you can still be harbouring hard feelings. Here are some clues that you've still got work to do: you get angry thinking about what happened; you give the offender the cold shoulder; you rehearse the incident mentally and in conversation; you seize every opportunity to remind the offender of what they did. Refusing to forgive and forget is just another way of justifying an unforgiving attitude. The Bible says there are two things God won't share: (1) His glory (See Isaiah 42:8); (2) His right to settle old scores. He said, 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay' (Romans 12:19). Don't

A little boy who'd been rude to his Mum started sneaking off upstairs. 'Where you going, young man?' she asked. 'To my room to talk to God,' he replied. 'Isn't there something you want to tell me first?' she said. 'Nope,' he said, 'You'll just get mad. God will forgive me and forget about it.' Long after you think you've forgiven somebody you can still be harbouring hard feelings. Here are some clues that you've still got work to do: you get angry thinking about what happened; you give the offender the cold shoulder; you rehearse the incident mentally and in conversation; you seize every opportunity to remind the offender of what they did. Refusing to forgive and forget is just another way of justifying an unforgiving attitude. The Bible says there are two things God won't share: (1) His glory (See Isaiah 42:8); (2) His right to settle old scores. He said, 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay' (Romans 12:19). Don't

How heavy is a glass of water? That depends on how long you have to carry it. A minute is no problem and after an hour your arm might ache. But after 24 hours you'll probably be in bad shape! In each instance the glass weighs exactly the same, but the longer you carry it the heavier it feels. And it's the same with a grudge; it can get so heavy it stops you from living. People will hurt you; that's the reality of sharing this planet with others. Sometimes it's intentional, other times they've no idea they upset you, far less broken your heart. Does that mean you should go around pretending nothing's wrong? No, the first step is to confront your feelings. And when the hurt is deep, it's even harder to forgive. That's when you need to pray, 'Lord, change my heart and heal me.' Jesus said, 'Pray for those who mistreat you' (Luke 6:28 NIV). When you do that something unexpected happens; your heart softens and you start seeing them through God

How heavy is a glass of water? That depends on how long you have to carry it. A minute is no problem and after an hour your arm might ache. But after 24 hours you'll probably be in bad shape! In each instance the glass weighs exactly the same, but the longer you carry it the heavier it feels. And it's the same with a grudge; it can get so heavy it stops you from living. People will hurt you; that's the reality of sharing this planet with others. Sometimes it's intentional, other times they've no idea they upset you, far less broken your heart. Does that mean you should go around pretending nothing's wrong? No, the first step is to confront your feelings. And when the hurt is deep, it's even harder to forgive. That's when you need to pray, 'Lord, change my heart and heal me.' Jesus said, 'Pray for those who mistreat you' (Luke 6:28 NIV). When you do that something unexpected happens; your heart softens and you start seeing them through God

Notice: (1) Focused people don't live in the past. Too many of us yearn for the past and get stuck in it. Instead we should learn from the past and let go of it. Elbert Hubbard wrote, 'A retentive memory may be a good thing, but the ability to forget is a token of greatness. Successful people forget. They're running a race. They can't afford to look behind. Their eye is on the finish line. They're too big to let little things disturb them. If anyone does them wrong, they consider the source and keep cool. It's only the small people who cherish revenge. Be a good forgetter… success demands it.' (2) Focused people don't think about the difficulties, but the rewards. If you dwell on the difficulties too long you'll start to develop self-pity instead of self-discipline. As a result you'll accomplish less and less. By focusing on results you'll stay encouraged. Make Christ your example. 'He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross beca

Notice: (1) Focused people don't live in the past. Too many of us yearn for the past and get stuck in it. Instead we should learn from the past and let go of it. Elbert Hubbard wrote, 'A retentive memory may be a good thing, but the ability to forget is a token of greatness. Successful people forget. They're running a race. They can't afford to look behind. Their eye is on the finish line. They're too big to let little things disturb them. If anyone does them wrong, they consider the source and keep cool. It's only the small people who cherish revenge. Be a good forgetter… success demands it.' (2) Focused people don't think about the difficulties, but the rewards. If you dwell on the difficulties too long you'll start to develop self-pity instead of self-discipline. As a result you'll accomplish less and less. By focusing on results you'll stay encouraged. Make Christ your example. 'He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross beca

When it comes to staying focused, keep in mind: (1) Focused people always look for a better way. What got you where you are won't necessarily get you where you need to be. A family who moved into a new neighbourhood got a late start one morning. As a result their six year old missed her school bus. Though it would make him late for work her father agreed to take her to school if she gave him directions. After 20 minutes of going in circles they finally arrived at the school, which turned out to be only a few blocks away from where they lived. Steaming, her dad asked why she drove him all over the place when the school was so close to home. 'We went the way the school bus does,' she said. 'That's the only way I know.' (2) Focused people concentrate a little harder and a little longer. Hall of Fame baseball player Hank Aaron says, 'What separates a superstar from the average ballplayer is that he concentrates just a little bit longer.' Focused thinking is

Focus does three things for you: (1) It keeps you on target. We find ourselves pulled in a dozen different directions, spending much of our time and energy on things we don't really care about. Author Don Marquis put it this way: 'Ours is a world where people don't know what they want, and are willing to go through hell to get it.' The Bible says: 'Let your eyes look straight ahead…Do not swerve to the right or the left' (Proverbs 4:25-27 NIV). (2) It increases your energy. Attempting everything, like attempting nothing, will suck the life out of you. Focus gives you energy. Admiral Richard Byrd, the Polar explorer, said, 'Few men come anywhere near exhausting the resources dwelling within them. There are deep wells of strength that are never used.' One of the reasons those wells go untapped is lack of focus. The mind doesn't reach toward achievement until it has clear objectives. (3) It lifts you. It's been said that 'the world stands aside

When it comes to staying focused, keep in mind: (1) Focused people always look for a better way. What got you where you are won't necessarily get you where you need to be. A family who moved into a new neighbourhood got a late start one morning. As a result their six year old missed her school bus. Though it would make him late for work her father agreed to take her to school if she gave him directions. After 20 minutes of going in circles they finally arrived at the school, which turned out to be only a few blocks away from where they lived. Steaming, her dad asked why she drove him all over the place when the school was so close to home. 'We went the way the school bus does,' she said. 'That's the only way I know.' (2) Focused people concentrate a little harder and a little longer. Hall of Fame baseball player Hank Aaron says, 'What separates a superstar from the average ballplayer is that he concentrates just a little bit longer.' Focused thinking is

Focus does three things for you: (1) It keeps you on target. We find ourselves pulled in a dozen different directions, spending much of our time and energy on things we don't really care about. Author Don Marquis put it this way: 'Ours is a world where people don't know what they want, and are willing to go through hell to get it.' The Bible says: 'Let your eyes look straight ahead…Do not swerve to the right or the left' (Proverbs 4:25-27 NIV). (2) It increases your energy. Attempting everything, like attempting nothing, will suck the life out of you. Focus gives you energy. Admiral Richard Byrd, the Polar explorer, said, 'Few men come anywhere near exhausting the resources dwelling within them. There are deep wells of strength that are never used.' One of the reasons those wells go untapped is lack of focus. The mind doesn't reach toward achievement until it has clear objectives. (3) It lifts you. It's been said that 'the world stands aside

You become effective by being selective. It's human nature to get distracted. We're like gyroscopes, spinning around at a frantic pace but not getting anywhere. Without a clear purpose you keep changing directions, jobs, relationships, churches, etc., hoping each change will settle the confusion or fill the emptiness in your heart. You think, 'This time it will be different,' but it doesn't solve your real problem; lack of focus. The power of focusing can be seen in light. With a magnifying glass the rays of the sun can set paper on fire. But when light is focused even more as a laser beam, it can cut through steel. Nothing is as potent as a focused life. The men and women who make the greatest difference in life are the most focused. For instance, the Apostle Paul said, 'I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing' (Philippians 3:13 TLB). Paul's obsession was to make Christ known. So if you want your life to have impact, focus it! Stop dabbl

You become effective by being selective. It's human nature to get distracted. We're like gyroscopes, spinning around at a frantic pace but not getting anywhere. Without a clear purpose you keep changing directions, jobs, relationships, churches, etc., hoping each change will settle the confusion or fill the emptiness in your heart. You think, 'This time it will be different,' but it doesn't solve your real problem; lack of focus. The power of focusing can be seen in light. With a magnifying glass the rays of the sun can set paper on fire. But when light is focused even more as a laser beam, it can cut through steel. Nothing is as potent as a focused life. The men and women who make the greatest difference in life are the most focused. For instance, the Apostle Paul said, 'I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing' (Philippians 3:13 TLB). Paul's obsession was to make Christ known. So if you want your life to have impact, focus it! Stop dabbl