Alive and Active

In 2 Samuel 21, David asks the Gibeonites how he can atone for Israel's sin against them. David was dealing with the consequences from Saul's sin, but he sought the Lord with courage. There are individual and cultural consequences when we take our eyes off the Lord. We must rise up, put a stake in the ground, and take on the consequences In the name of the Lord.

In 2nd Samuel 20, David should have told Amasa that he was relieved of his duties, but he didn't and Joab seized the opportunity to kill Amasa in cold blood. David should have addressed Joab's ruthless behavior and lack of character, but David stuck his head in the sand and he allowed Joab to get away with all kinds of evil. There has to be a standard of accountability for the best and w...

As Christians, we must be accurate and authoritative judges and we must never divide over the Word of God. We must work together when division creeps in and  get in the paint with one another. The Word of God and the common nature of Christ is what unites us and we should live that out as believers.

Jesus wants us to be persistent in prayer because He listens to us, and The Holy Spirit fine tunes our prayers before they get  into the throne room, all the while as we are being shaped into the nature of Christ. Being persistent in prayer is important because that is one way that God trains us, renews our mind and matures us. Prayer is not about getting something from God, but it is about being...

Daniel and his friends were captured and handed over to the chief official in Daniel 1. Daniel had already made up his mind that he was going to follow God no matter what the cost might be and his resolve did not change. Aeneas Williams was a football player who changed the culture of the locker room by asking to have different God honoring music played. As Christians, we must be persistent in goi...

Pride can suck the life out of us. We must look in the mirror, confess our sins, and put to death the pride within us. Jesus Christ humbly gave up his place in heaven to live a sinless and selfless life and he is our perfect example that we look to.

2 Corinthians 10:5 says, "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ." As Christians, we can't allow the culture and apostasy to seep into our hearts and minds. We must be in the scriptures so that we are  tightening the locks on our hearts and minds. Each day there is a battlefield for our mind and...

Sometimes things happen in life like sickness, tornados or other things that are absolutely devastating. As Christians we need to be aware of the people around us and their circumstances, then we can be ready to be on a rescue mission for people in the name of Jesus Christ. Everything is in the hand of the Lord and He directs us where He wants us to go (Proverbs 21:1). If our whole life is based o...

Psalm 51 is a heartfelt Psalm of forgiveness. David blames no one but himself for sleeping with Bathsheba and having Uriah murdered and he begs for God's forgiveness. David knew that his sin hurt God's heart and because of that, his heart was broken. But joy eventually comes and David no longer feels the guilt because the Lord forgave him and restored his fellowship with Him. When we sin...

As Christians we must have credibility, right thinking, and a servant's heart so that we can be the best team player in the Kingdom of God. There's no room for elbowing each other as Christians or wondering how you can always get the credit. We are after accuracy in Christ and leading with a servant's heart. JOY stands for (Keep) Jesus First, Others second & You third. 

In 2nd Samuel 19, David has the sense to listen to the wisdom of an older man named Barzillai. As we age, we don't mail it in and we never retire from proclaiming Christ. Moses didn't hit his stride until the near end of his life. No matter your age, the Holy Spirit wants to transform you into the image of Christ and allow you to use your wisdom to help others in their faith.  

In 2 Samuel 19, David chose to forgive Shimei and others who had previously bashed him. Jesus Christ tells us as Christian’s to forgive just as our Father in heaven has forgiven us. Jesus modeled what true forgiveness looks like. We pardon others because Jesus first pardoned us.

In 2nd Samuel 19, David reenters as king of Israel and he is greeted by some of the people that booed him when he was kicked out of Israel. David pardons Shimei and he shows that he trusted in God's sovereignty. As Christians if we are in Christ, then we can't seek revenge, but allow The Lord to handle it. We must follow Jesus' example and forgive others as Jesus forgave and pardone...

Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead and defeated death. Believers are born-again (John 3:3) by the Spirit of God. God has put all things under His authority. We have been transferred from death to life and God has spiritually adopted us as his child. If you are a Christian, you are living under supernatural power. Our labor in this world is not in vain with the Lord.

We "Get To" worship an ALIVE and RESURRECTED JESUS. Religion is man's attempt to reach God, but salvation is God coming down through Jesus Christ to reach man. Jesus died on a cross to fully pay for our sin, and he rose three days later and defeated death. It's not do more, try harder. It's dying to our old self daily. We get a new life from dying not trying. Trusting in J...

As Christians we need a biblical worldview so that we don't drift with the culture. Adultery, alcohol, and arrogance are three drifts that the Bible addresses. If you are in a drift mentality, then you will allow the devil to lead you to places that you would never have thought you would go.

John the Baptist was relentless in talking about the kingdom of God. John was disciplined and he countered pressure with pressure. As Christians we must develop discipline and resistance so we can be circumstance-free in our approach to the Kingdom of God. 

John the Baptist was a game changer in the culture and people noticed him and felt him. John maximized his time on earth because he knew his role that the Lord had given him.  As Christians, we must bloom where we are planted onto the glory of the Lord and we must be a game changer in the culture and rely on the Holy Spirit.

In John 11, John the Baptist was fearful yet Jesus encouraged him so that he wouldn't fall away. John was in the midst of extreme opposition and even though he was wavering, Jesus praised John. How do you handle the intense line of scrimmage type battles in life? Ephesians 6 tells us how we should prepare for the spiritual battles that we will face and how we need the Word of God and pray to...

In 2nd Samuel 19, David gets up and takes his seat in the gateway. David showed great resiliency after getting kicked out as king. At times, we've all blown it in life and we've all sinned and missed opportunities to follow the Lord. However, God is for us and we can go to the Lord with wisdom and get back in the paint with Him. Be a comeback king and get off the floor, just like David i...

Colossians 3:23 says "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not human masters." In Super Bowl 27, the Dallas Cowboys were crushing the Buffalo bills, and the game was almost over. The Bills quarterback fumbled the ball and a Dallas Cowboys defender, Leon Lett, picked up the ball and ran it almost 60 yards to the end zone. Buffalo Bills wide receiver Do...

In 1st Samuel 19, Joab tells David the hard message that he needs to get up and stop sulking over the death of his son Absalom. David responds by getting up and getting back into the game. When life hits us hard, we have to immediately go to the Lord, get off the floor, and live the resurrected life that He gives.

In 2 Samuel 18, David hears the news that his son Absalom has died and he weeps bitterly for him. As believers, there's a time to grieve and there's a time to get back up. There are a lot of people dealing with grief and the solution is the Gospel of Jesus Christ because that is where our hope lies. God so loved us that he gave up his only Son, Jesus Christ.

Walter Payton was an all pro running back for the Chicago Bears. Walter maximized his time on and off the field and he was an extremely disciplined athlete. As believers, we have to be strategic in studying the word of God, because we are called to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ. If we want to be great in the Lord, then we must be disciplined.

In 2nd Samuel 18, Joab disobeys David and kills his son Absalom. Joab throws Absalom in a pit and piles a large heap of rocks over him. If Absalom and Joab had an epitaph written about them, it would probably state that they were rebellious and disobedient. As believers in Jesus Christ, we have the opportunity to live out the calling in our life. What would people put on your tombstone? As long as...