Day 16 Pure

The world looks at the church today has full of people who are hypocritical. Why? Have we forgotten integrity? Have we become like the world? We need to be people of integrity, this is what will draw people to the Lord. The world is watching whether we like it or not. We are held up to a standard. The non-believer knows how a Christian should act. we are under a microscope. People of integrity don't just do the right thing when others are looking, they do it when they are alone. Some of the hardest times to be a person of integrity is when I am alone. The enemy tries to convince that it hurts no one else but that is so untrue. My level of integrity strengthens when I listen to the Holy Spirit alone. I can be no different than when I am alone or when I am in public. God wants me to have a pure heart at all times. I am so glad that He is there at all times. Let's take this by storm by being people of integrity.

Day 15 Merciful

Our current events in Haiti have led the people of God to action. People are streaming from all over the world to give/show mercy to the people who are hurting. I believe we come across opportunities everyday to show mercy to people in our community. People are hurting not only physically but spiritually. Every week when the G-Team goes into the neighborhoods we see people who are hurting. They need mercy and as people of God we give it. Let's help our world with mercy by our giving and by our acts of kindness.

Day 14 Satisfied

Interviews have been done with people who had everything in life that a person could want. Fame,money,homes,cars,vacations to elite spots all over the world. Every material possession they could want. When asked the question were they truly happy most answered no. What they thought would give them satisfaction only made them yearning for more to be always unsatisfied. The old saying that money can not buy happiness is true.

If we want to be truly satisfied we need to look no further than the Lord. There is no material possession,no relationship that is more important to me than Jesus. It is only He who truly satisfies my soul. I find it very satisfying to be the salt and light in our world.I do enjoy people (being the people person that I am) and I do get some satisfaction from people but nothing satisfies me more than when I satisfy Him!

Day 13 Righteous

There is a saying that "Decisions are not made because they are popular,they are made because they are right". Making the right decision when everyone else is pulling the opposite direction can be very difficult. As God's people we are called to be people of righteousness. Our mission is to restore our world to righteousness.We need to care about the things He care about and hate the things He hates. Wherever we go we are having an influence in our world. How we act,how we react,how we treat people, where we go we will influence people.If we have an ongoing,obedient relationship with God our influence will be one of righteousness. If we are trying on our own merit then our influence will be well..... God has called us to be agents(not secret or undercover) but agents of change in a world that does indeed need change. Not a popular change but a righteous change. I like what the author said " There is no room for compromise only commitment". Let's commit today to His agents of change

Day 12 Meek Matthew 5:4

We live in a driven society. People will do almost anything to get ahead. We have seen in our economic crisis that people were taking millions of dollars because they felt entitled to it. It didn't matter what affect it had on the regular everyday person. In many cases the rich got richer and the poor got poorer.

As God's children we are promised the inheritance that Christ gives. We will receive major blessings upon blessings. But it has to be in God's timing not ours. When David was anointed by Samuel as the next king of Israel he didn't rush in and claim the right. David went back to tending the sheep where he was refined by God. If God is calling us to a major move in our life, wait upon Him. The meek person knows that there is a time between the anointing and the appointing.

God's promises are true and He will come through. We need to sit still and allow God to mold us and refine us as we wait for the inheritance. Don't rush it,the God of all creation knows what He is doing. Those who wait upon the Lord (in meekness) will renew their strength.

Day 11 Comfort

Day 10 Kingdom of Heaven

Matthew 5

The Beatitudes

¹Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ²and he began to teach them saying:
³"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Day 9 Poor in Spirit

This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me
This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me
And I, I'm lost without you
And I, I'm desperate for you

It is for the will of God that I live,move and have my being. Without Him I am nothing. I must die to myself and my wants and live for His wants. It is only when we consider ourselves "poor" then we will be rich.
2 Chronicles 7:14 (Amplified Bible)

14If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

Let us require of necessity His face and will.

Day 8 Blessed Matthew 5:1-3

Character is defined by who we are when no one is looking. God cares more for our character than our comfort. Our character is not what we do rather it is who we are. We can not separate ourselves from our character. We are who we are. If we are godly then everything that we do stems out of our godly character. It would be natural to us to live,move and breathe in the will of God. We may never be faced with the danger of losing our lives for our faith but we can not take that for granted. The responsibility we have to the Lord is to develop our godly character. Not so that we boast but that we become a magnet that draws people to want what we have. This character is being developed as we do this study, it is opening areas in our lives that need closer examination and in some cases fixing.It is also developed as we read His word,in prayer and in our daily sacrifice as we give up our will for His. Let us truly live our lives each and every day by announcing that we are His! We have been bought with a price! The blood of the one and only Lord,Jesus Christ! As sure as an apple tree is an apple tree so I am a Christian! It is who I am that causes me to do what I do. Please Him! Let's stick together and lift,hold each other up in the midst of the battle so that our godly character can grow. Amen!

Day 7 Fit For Service Luke 9:61-62

The call to service is now. Are we ready to answer? Jesus wants us to answer the call for our world so people can be saved. Our mission is to reach out to our lost world with the good news. We agreed to this call when we "signed up" for God's army. We need to surrender our all to answer the call. We can not hesitate in answering the call for we have people dying and going to hell without Christ. The call is to save lives. I am so glad that someone answered the call to tell me about Christ. Are we fit for service? If we are in the word and prayer the answer is yes. Let's get ready for the battle

Day 6 Feed my Sheep

John 21:17
The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."Jesus said, "Feed my sheep

Day 5 Hate

Day 4 Sell Your Possessions

God does not want us to live in poverty yet what possession do we have that is hindering our walk? If there is anything that is holding back our full commitment to follow God.this is what we should get rid of. I am reminded of Abraham who loved Issac with all his heart Issac was his prize possession. God commanded Abraham to sacrifice (let go of,sell) his one and only son. It was through Abraham's faith and obedience that counted him as righteous. What is our "prize possession" that we need to give away or get rid of? It is only when we "sell our prize possession" can we fully be followers of Christ. When we do this we too will be counted as righteous in the sight of God and his blessing will flow into our lives.

Jan 07, 2010



Jean Taylor said...
Day 4 - Sell Your Possessions
For many people finding peace with possessions is a great challenge. I am fortunate in this area.... I'm a "low maintence person" that does not require a lot of "things" in my life.
I wonder if growing up as a military brat has anything to do with this??!! As we would travel from one location to the next, it was often weeks before the truck would arrive delivering our "things." We learned to play with each other and with small objects we could find in the yard, instead of "needing" barrels full of toys and games. When we moved from Japan, back to the USA - the moving company lost a large portion of our possessions.

I have, as have most, accumulated a bunch of "things" in my adult life. My home has lots of "stuff" in closets, cubbies, shelves, drawers, etc. I have wondered more than once, what I would grab, pending some man-made or natural disaster of sorts. I feel confident that all "life" in home would be my top priority (husband, children, and beloved pets, as well as any possible visitors). After that, I would probably try to grab my photo albums. I get such pleasure out of reviewing childhood photos of my children - it takes me on a journey of joy! Then I would grab some other memories that were left to me by my parents. Things that remind me of my childhood, and our adventures in distant lands. Beyond that - I'm good! Truth be known, the "life" has a temporary existence on earth that will end when the Lord decides... as for the "things" -- they are all replaceable -- and the memories will be there with or without reminders, until my mind goes.

I don't need to live in a mansion - I have one waiting on the better side! I don't need fancy transportation - I'm looking forward to walking on streets of gold! I don't need excess - I'll gladly trade it all in for my crown! I try to dress in a manner that doesn't send a passerby to the opposite side of the road - but I'll give up any name brands or styles of clothing for my heavenly garments in due time!

I agree with Solomon - "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." Ecc 1:2. I also agree with Matthew, "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matthew 16:26 Let's keep it simple!! NJ

Day 3 Take up your cross

I like the analogy of the solider who is in training to become a disciplined solider to fulfill the mission he signed on for. The solider belongs to "Uncle Sam" 24/7. He trains physically and emotionally to be ready at the moment he is called into the battlefield. I remember the time when I was in boot-camp and thought that the things the company commander was having us do was silly and meaningless. One time I was yelled at because I left my wash cloth out. At the end of our training it became clear why they were so harsh. When you are out on the ship in the middle of the ocean everything matters for you and your ship mates survival. I remember wearing my uniform with pride as I flew back home and people would look at me and I could sense a respect that they had because I was protecting our country. When we enlist into the "army of God", we sign on for 24/7 and we too should be proud to wear our "uniform". This is not a Christian t-shirt,a necklace or even a bracelet. It is our cross that we willingly take up each and everyday and follow Him. Are we willing to truly die for Him? It is easy to say yes because that is what we should say. To willingly die for Him is not just to give up lives, it is to give all we have to Him and follow His will. Just like a military person we have a mission to complete, it's called the great commission. To tell the world about Jesus and to proudly wear the "uniform" of our faith. Our testimony

Jan 07, 2010

Jean Taylor said...
Day 3 - Take up your cross

I love the quote by Mother Teresa: "A sacrifice to be real must cost, must hurt, must empty ourselves." How true is that?!

Merriam-Webster says this:
Main Entry: 2sacrifice
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): sacrificed; sacrific·ing
Date: 14th century
transitive verb 1 : to offer as a sacrifice
2 : to suffer loss of, give up, renounce, injure, or destroy especially for an ideal, belief, or end
3 : to sell at a loss
4 : to advance (a base runner) by means of a sacrifice hit
5 : to kill (an animal) as part of a scientific experiment
For years, I have attempted to reprogram my husband's childhood mindset "What happens in the home, stays in the home." This is a very unhealthy midset! Think of all the newspaper articles/stories that you have seen/heard discussing the horrendous forms of abuse that children have suffered inside the home!

The best mentality to keep is that you should live your life in a way that anybody, at any time, should be able to know what you are doing, because it should always be honorable and upright. The only exception is when you are planning a pleasant surprise for someone you love, then a temporary secret is okay! We are called to live a life that reflects God... not just some of the time, but all of the time!!

When our children were younger, they would occasionally go to school and share events that happened in our home - I'm sure it's happened to you too! Sometime those events were slightly embarrassing, but never were they destructive to who I am, because I am, who I am, who I am!!

Being "who I am" has sometimes invited criticism from my family, and occasionally from some "friends" or co-workers. More times than not, the consistency of who I am has eventually won out over the criticism - and a couple of times some of the criticizers have returned to me for godly advise or asked me to pray for their situations. At least twice, my criticizers have turned their lives over to Christ.

The challenge is to CONTINUE being faithful - every minute, every hour, every day, every week, every year! Lord, help me (help us all) to NOT grow weary in well doing! NJ

Day 2 Deny Yourself

John, in regards to your reflection from yesterday, I totally agree. I always try every year to read the bible in a year. By time I get to the 3rd, I have fallen behind and I try again around the end of January. I am very pleased to say that I am trying something new this year. I found a website that actually allows you to choose how to read your bible in a year http://www.ewordtoday.com/year/31/cjan01.htm and I have chosen to do so chronologically (per advice of Cheryl Precourt-thanks Cheryl). I love it. I am actually ahead of the game. Here it is the 4th of January and I am about to start the January 7th reading. It gives me a whole new way of reading the bible and it is enjoyable for me.
As I read Day 2 and the Dare that came with it, Jess is right. It is high time that I let the Lord lead my life and for me to DENY myself. This has really put a fire under me. I need to make sure that even in my classroom and around my co-workers, I am living righteously for Him. He died for me and it is the least I can do. I hope all is going well for the rest of you. God Bless!
Jan 05, 2010

Jean Taylor said...
Day 2 - Deny yourself. I am a strong-willed individual! (SURPRISE!) I THINK that I am following His will -- but I have to wonder sometime if it's not my own??!! Have I convinced myself that it is His?? So, I will need to be in major connection mode (connecting with Him) to make sure!!
Sometimes we make things SO difficult. If you boil it all down -- I am obligated first to Christ, then to my husband and children.... after that, it gets a little gray. Extended family, friends, job, church, community, education, additional activities.... in what order does the Bible suggest they fall??

It would probably be easier to follow His will if we would remind ourselves of our God-given responsibilities and that there is a season for all things. Finally, that, IN ALL THINGS, it is our responsibility to allow Him to shine through us and touch the lives of the people that are around us.

I desire to live out God's plan for my life -- but desire ALONE will not accomplish it! Faith without works is DEAD!

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Jan 05, 2010

Angie Foust said...
As I read this passage I was reminded of Matthew and how he, litterally and figuratively, dropped everything to follow Christ. No questions asked. When he left that tax collector's booth Matthew, unlike some of other disciples who could return to fishing, guaranteed his own unemployment. There was no turning back for Matthew. Wow. While we will probably never be put in a situation as life-impacting as that, for me it puts into perspective just how trivial it seems to give up much smaller things in my own life. Things that don't even compare to a livelihood.
The other thought I had is that self denial is almost non-existent in our world today. We all hear the siren song of "if it feels good then do it". We live in such a self-centered society! What's really tough is when you decide to live a certain way i.e., not cussing, trying to give people the benefit of the doubt, having an upbeat attitude, not participating in rumors, not over-indulging......... Society usually lashes out at you in an attempt to make you conform and to assuage their own guilt. Resisting that pressure graciously is often a challenge for me.

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Jan 05, 2010

John Bowman said...
To live out God's plan for or lives can be very scary. We sometimes find ourselves asking God to open doors in our lives and when He does we stand at th entrance of the room because we can't see into it. We ask God to push us into the room (but He won't), it is our faith that leads us into the unknown(darkroom) because we know that He is there. There is a cost to denying ourselves and picking up the cross and following Him. Sometimes the road may be a smooth paved road and sometimes it will a rough road with rocks that cut our feet. This is the road that our Savior walked and it leads to the cross. It is here that we crucify ourselves and are risen in new life with Him. Matthew 6:10 says "your will be done on earth as it is in heaven". Maybe we should say "your will be done in me". When we bow our will to His will then and only then can we do His will on earth. Only those that do His will inherit the kingdom of heaven,Matthew 7:23. What can we deny ourselves in to allow His will to be done?

Day 1 Follow Me

T
It was fabulous today hearing Jess Bousa. He was very energetic and so on key for what is going on in today's world. I bought my book prior and I read the Day 1 today. It has inspired me to "dedicate" myself to Christ and to Dare to disciple myself and others. I am on the start to a great journey.
Jan 04, 2010

John Bowman said...
As I read chapter one a thought came to my mind. If we are to make followers we need to be followers. How do we measure our walk with th Lord? I believe it is the daily relationship that we have. Are we spending adequate time in prayer and the word each day? I want to challenge each of us to seek the Lord everyday in prayer and reading of the word. As we do this we will become more like Christ and be able to make other people want to follow Him.
Jan 04, 2010

ngm said...
I really enjoyed listening to Pastor Jess at both services yesterday.. The first chapter has really made me think about my walk and relationship with Christ. I know that I am called to follow him. It is just a matter of doing it and sticking with it. I look forward to see what each day brings.

Jan 04, 2010

Jean Taylor said...
Well gang.... the first day of The Discipleship Dare was a good day! I enjoyed the concept of "Follow Me".... and I LOVE the quote "God does not call the qualified, he pualifies the called." I have been saying for the past several weeks, to numerous people, "it's not about being worthy, it's about being willing!" I want to live a life worth dying for -- I want others to easily see my MASTER in me! I want to continue to help others enlist... I'll gladly be a RECRUITER for CHRIST! I will gladly follow HIM -- anywhere, anytime! This is going to be a great 40 day adventure! NJ