BOLD BEYOND REASON. By Pastor Tj Gorum

SCRIPTURE

Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. Acts 4:13

OBSERVATION

Here we have the disciples before the elite and literate of the time. These uneducated scrubs sit before this council because God has chosen to use them. Now if it was me and any joe smoe I would expect these uneducated men to cower in the presence of the wisdom of this world. Surely they would be refuted by the articulate responses of the religious leaders. Surely they would be silenced in light of the quick quips these men would give. Yet these uneducated men look more like gladiators than fishermen. They stand tall, heads held high before their accusers. Not in mockery or arrogance, but alive in the simple fact that they their source of strength and power is beyond them. They have the power of Christ. Not they know about the power of Christ or have heard about it, they have it. And it shows. Everyone knows it. What strikes people about what they see in this instance is their confidence goes beyond them. They know they were with Jesus. When Moses would leave the presence of God people could see it. It is this intrinsic familiarity that cries out to them. God’s fingerprint in creation recognizes its own.

APPLICATION

I was listening to a sermon by Andy Stanley the other day talking about the life of Joseph. He was talking about how Joseph stood out in the midst of adversity because God was with him. His question for everyone in the room was-If someone was in your exact circumstances of life, with your resources and your abilities, but knew 100% that God was with them, what would they do? Or in essence, what would you do if you knew that God was with you?

It changes everything. Normally we look for God after we look through our circumstances. But now it is a matter of looking for God’s presence than the circumstance. God was with Joseph even in prison. Joseph stood out because God was with him. In the same way I know that this is what I need to focus on. If I focus on manifesting the presence of God in my life than I will have this same confidence because if God is for me, than nothing can be against me. I used to rely on this but somewhere along the line it became about my skill or perfect plan. IF the conditions were right then God would show up. Now I do my best to prepare and then fully expect God to be there because it isn’t about my skills or abilities but if He is there. Where He is change and transformation happens. Hearts change at a moments notice, chains are destroyed, and life abounds.

In this season of life I now lead from the standpoint that God is with me. In the coffee shop, God is with me. In my finances, God is with me. I need to “gird” myself by preparing and doing my part, but HE will come through. As Joseph built storehouses in order to house the abundance, God is the one who brought the bountiful harvest. Today I choose to build my storehouse in full faith because I know that God is with me and I have heard his call. I walk in authority now knowing that indeed he will work and walk before me and after me.

As a leader, when men look at me they must see my confidence. Not in the fact that I am capable or smart. They must look at me and see the confidence that I have the power of Christ and have been with him and He continues to be with me. From this point forward I want to walk in expectant faith rather than reluctant obedience.

PRAYER

I would rather walk through the darkest valley with You by my side than to walk on the highest peak on my own.

REFRESHED BY THE SPIRIT. By Pastor Fernando

SCRIPTURE - Acts 4:29-30

"Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

OBSERVATION
After the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the disciples experienced a real transformation. They went from uneducated to articulate, from ordinary people to extraordinary, from timid and fearful to bold and decisive, and from faithless to faithful. They are turning the world upside down and the religious establishment is very uncomfortable. They are persecuted and threatened by the religious leaders. As they pray, this passage reveals their heart. Rather than asking God to make things easier for them, they ask God for more boldness to speak the message. And also they asked for more supernatural power to backup their proclamation.

APPLICATION
The Holy Spirit does a real work of transformation in our lives. Very recently I've been asking the Holy Spirit to renew His anointing over my life and over the ministry of our church. We are asking the Lord for more boldness to proclaim the message with power and for more miracles to touch those who are hurting, lost, and hopeless. Of course, this power comes from God. But I think that on my side, I must surrender and rely more and more in the power of the Holy Spirit. I need to fight constantly the default nature of depending on my own strength. Just like the disciples, we need to live expecting God to do powerful things as we take bold steps to proclaim the message and walk by faith, not by sight. We need to risk more, trust more in God, increase our faith, and expect supernatural things in our natural world.

PRAYER
Dear heavenly Father, thank you so much for the many opportunities we have to proclaim the message of life and hope in Christ Jesus. Holy Spirit, please fall fresh upon us and give us a unique boldness to proclaim your Word in a way that break the walls of unbelief and brings new hope in people's lives. Let us see more and greater miracles in our society, even if it challenges religiosity and traditional methods. Make us effective in reaching the lost and in making fully devoted followers of Christ. Amen!

BEWARE OF FALSE HUMILITY. By Pastor Fernando

SCRIPTURE - Exodus 4:10-14

Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue. "The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it." Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses...

OBSERVATION
After several years of desert living, God restored Moses' calling to lead the Israelites in a supernatural way. God appeared and spoke to him to confirmed his calling to set the Israelites free. But Moses had lost all his confidence and was filled with insecurities about it. He went from being overconfident enough to kill an Egyptian, to being extremely insecure and hesitant. God gave him a supernatural provision and a supportive promise to back him up in his quest. But it wasn't enough for Moses. He even tried to pass this opportunity to someone else, which it may seem very noble, but it was clearly an expression of unbelief, distrust, and false humility. Such attitude caused God's anger against him. And even though God was angry at Moses, The Lord continued affirming him and providing him with more resources to accomplish God's plan.

APPLICATION
The Scripture declares in Numbers 12:3 that "Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth." But such humility wasn't granted from the get go. It was developed through all the circumstances Moses went through. Like a pendulum swinging between overconfidence and false humility, Moses' life went through both extremes until finally he found himself in a balance, resting in God's plan for his life, and with a humble heart.

In my personal life I want to find the balance of true humility. I'm aware sometimes I struggle with overconfidence. But more often, and especially recently, I see myself struggling with insecurities, hesitance, and false humility. God has been promoting me to places, opportunities and positions of influence I never saw possible for me. Quite honest, I feel unqualified for most of them. And even though this is healthy for my character, I can see how the pendulum wants to go over too far on the side of false humility. I know that God resists the proud and rejects the arrogant and overconfident. But also in this passage we see God getting angry to those who practice false humility, the insecure, the hesitant and the under-confident.

PRAYER
Dear heavenly Father, please forgive me for the extremes I often practice as I struggle to develop a true sense of humility in my life. Today I need to ask you to forgive me especially for a sense of false humility that has been trying to find a secure footing in my heart. Please bring balance to my life so I can become truly humble before you and before men. I don't want to make you angry. I want to glorify your name. So help me top think in a healthy way about the calling you have for this season in my life. Help me to be courageous to do what you want me to do, confident in your provision and promise, and secure in your power to use me. I love you Lord, Amen!

GOOD INTENTIONS DO NOT JUSTIFY THE WRONG MEANS. By Pastor Fernando

SCRIPTURE - Exodus 2:11-14

One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, "Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?" The man said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and thought, "What I did must have become known."

OBSERVATION
Moses grew up with a desire to do something for His oppressed people and bring change. In his young and naive years, he tried to bring freedom on his own way, by killing an Egyptian. He did it in the shadows, like a vigilante. He probably felt good about it and even confident enough to exercise some leadership among the Hebrews. But some of them knew of his secret murderous ways, confronted him sarcastically, and dismissed his intent to lead. As a result of this, he felt disqualified from the original intent of becoming a liberator, ran away from Pharaoh, and went into exile.

APPLICATION
This week I have learned a very important lesson that is confirmed in this passage of Scripture. In Christian leadership, those who are called to lead most of the times have good intentions to bring positive and necessary change. At the start line of the race we have pure motives, creative ideas, and good intentions. We can visualize the finish line with great results that bring blessing to people and glory to God. So we start the race, but very often something happens on the track. As we find obstacles, our insecurities, selfishness, fears, compulsions and character flaws become evident. And if we don't know how to handle them properly in the presence of God, we could deceive ourselves, believe that the means justify the ends, and eventually end up behaving unethically, just like Moses did. When that happens, people around us are going to notice that something is not quite right and they are going to ask questions. Our tendency is to avoid the answers about the ethics of our means, and use our intentions as an excuse. We say, "My intentions are pure. My motivation is good."

This week I realized how easy is for leaders to follow this pattern of self-deception. It makes me sad to think about those around me who started with good intentions, but disqualified themselves from the race because of unethical behavior. But this morning God's Word gives me hope that just as Moses was restored and became the most humble man that ever lived, these leaders who I love can also experience God's restoration and purification of their calling to lead and finish the race well.

PRAYER
Dear heavenly Father, please keep my heart pure from wrong motives and from unethical, unbiblical, twisted, and compromising solutions. The means cannot justify the end. Let me walk in integrity and run the race the right way, never risking to be disqualified because of impatience or frustration. Show me how to bring discernment into the process so we keep it clean, honest, transparent, and honorable in such a way that brings blessings to people and glory to your name. Amen!

MONEY BUYS RELATIONSHIPS. By Pastor Fernando

SCRIPTURE - Luke 16:8-9
"The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings."

OBSERVATION
Jesus here points out that people in the world are willing to take more risks and loss than the people of the light in order to keep relationships healthy. They use their wealth to build bridges, not walls. Jesus implies that our money should be used to strengthen relationships. Generosity has the power to unite people and we should be looking into ways to use money to gain friends.

APPLICATION
A very practical way to use our money is to build and maintain relationships. Very often we scheme about how to keep more money for ourselves, but Jesus encourages us to scheme and find ways to share more resources with others. Healthy relationships have a price, and very often that price is monetary. Generosity will open doors and it will create credibility, especially if our intent is not self-centered. I've seen this principle working in our ministry in India. Our generosity there has opened doors for us in so many ways. We are using some of the money God gives us to help others and our influence grows among them. We should look into other ways we can use monetary resources to build and nurture new healthy friendships.

PRAYER
Dear heavenly father, thank you so much for your faithfulness and provision. Give us wisdom about how and where we should share our blessings so we can build strong alliances for the kingdom of God. Keep our hearts pure so we build friendships without selfish motives. Amen!

ANXIETY. By Pastor Jan Tomai.

SCRIPTURE
“Therefore I ell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.” Genesis 12:36

OBSERVATION
Anxiety can be such a blessing in our lives. God made us to have this “quick” fight or flight response to danger! How else would we react at the right time to things that physically, emotionally, and mentally threaten our lives? God made us to be sensitive to our environment as a means of protection. How often must we avert physical danger whether driving, running, or doing something as simple as cooking? Then, there is the constant risk of emotion trauma from loss, discouragement, others, or possibly abuse. Mental danger exists all around us as we are bombarded with moral impurity trying to seep into our souls through constant media exposure.

APPLICATION
Now comes the catch. I find myself anxious about things that are not threatening my mental integrity, physical well-being, or emotional health. It would be nice to blame Satan for all of it but the truth is my flesh plays a big part in enlarging on God’s natural defense system for human’s in pursuit of purposes that often escape me. I think I am suggesting that it is not God’s plan but my design converted toward something I want, need, or desire. If there is going to be true self-awareness, then it will have to start in the midst of my selfish anxiety. I must learn to give every moment to God retiring to that quiet spot in my heart where He and I can abide. I must learn to find life worth living on God’s terms not my own.

PRAYER
Lord, help me to remove myself from the noise of everyday life that tries to call me away from you. My unhealthy anxieties can only be reduced through a constant awareness of your intended protection and realization that all else is Me seeking what you have not designed. Life is nothing without you, Lord. Let the moment to moment reflect your glory. Help me to shed unneeded anxietyand dress in the promises of Your Word.

RESTORING A DECEIVER. By Pastor Fernando

SCRIPTURE
After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. God said to him, "Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel." So he named him Israel.
Genesis 35:9-10

OBSERVATION
Jacob, as his name indicates, was a deceiver. We moved up in life by deceiving his father, his brother, his uncle, and many others. Some of his sons grew up to be like him and became deceivers. They deceived Hamor, his son Shechem, and the men of their city. Ruben deceived his father by sleeping with his concubine. And later on, the ten older brothers would deceive their father about the whereabouts of Joseph. Certainly, when you consider Jacob's life, this name change event while in Bethel is very significant. God is dealing with the sinful nature within Jacob. God himself declares that Jacob will not be known as a deceiver, but as Israel, a man who struggles with God. Jacob was the man who wrestled with the Angel of the Lord until daybreak and it seems that his new name reflects that event.

When reading the way God changes Jacob's name, I would expect a better name, something like, "the man of truth" or "the honest man." But the name God gave him was Israel, "he who struggles with God." Certainly, the reality of Israel from that point forward was of struggle and the same struggle continues even today. I seems that the path towards living in the truth has to go though struggles first.

APPLICATION
I don't want to have a relationship with the Lord where I'm constantly struggling with him. I want to have a relationship where I surrender to Him. The root of deception is still deep in my heart. My sin is a reality that manifests with self-deception, with lack of honesty, with a spin of the truth, and with compromise. Just like Jacob, the temptation to move up in life through deception is very real. And certainly, when we want to walk with Christ, we will struggle with Him and His ways. We want our will and He wants His. We wrestle with God in our minds. And when El Shadai, the God Almighty, pins us down on the mat, we have two options: to let our faith be weakened and resent God, or surrender to Him fully convinced that God's ways are better than our ways.

That's why my relationship with God through Christ makes the whole difference in the world. The Holy Spirit will always point out my deception to set me free from it. And even though is natural to struggle and wrestle with God, at the end I hope always to surrender to His ways.

PRAYER
Dear heavenly Father, please help me to always surrender to your ways, even when I call you on the mat for things I don't understand. Right now I don't understand why the people in Haiti are suffering so much. Even though you didn't cause this disaster, I know you are in control and you allow it to happen. I believe you have a great plan, but it seems very hard to see the good side when there is so much devastation in front of my eyes. I choose to trust you. But there are millions of people right now struggling, wrestling in their hearts with you about this. Please guide them to surrender and to trust in your ways. Help us to put our trust in you and to the promise of one day bringing the entire world under your dominion. And help us to be restored from our own deception until we can live in the full truth of your will. Amen!

UNDERSTANDING AUTHORITY. By Pastor Fernando

SCRIPTURE - Luke 7:6-10

He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. ⁷That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

⁹When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." ¹⁰Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

OBSERVATION
The Centurion was a good man that feared God and understood the principles of authority. He knows how it works and how it can be exercised. For him, just a word from Jesus is enough to do the miracle that he requested. The centurion recognizes that Jesus has authority over all things, including the health of his servant. So his faith is based simply on what Jesus says. He knows that just one word from the One with authority suffices. He recognizes who Jesus is and He does not doubt in the authoritative power of His words. Jesus was very impressed with this kind of faith coming from a Gentile and elevated it above all the other people of Israel.

APPLICATION
We can build our faith as we understand and apply the principles of authority. One word from the Lord should be enough. What His Word says should be the only thing that we depend on to believe in a miracle. He says it, and so it goes! However, I can see very often that His word is not enough for us. He want something else and request a confirmation, a proof, an emotion, a feeling, or a manifestation, so our faith can grow more. By God's grace, God sometimes gives us more than His word, and yet we walk in skepticism. Our faith is not developed and we continue to struggle believing what God says.

We need to recognize and understand that Jesus has authority over every single thing in the universe. His word created everything from nothing. I need to rest assure that what He says is going to happen. His word should be enough for me. I don't need any proof. His word is all I need because He has the authority to make it happen. He has power over everything, including the spirits of oppression working around me and in the lives of those who I lead. He has the authority and all things submit to Him. I need to build my faith more and more as I understand the authority that the Father has given to Jesus to rule in power.

PRAYER
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for the authority you have given Jesus to rule over every challenge, every sickness, every principality, and every situation in my life and in the lives of others around me. Help me to have a faith like this centurion - a faith where your word is enough for me to run confident. This year help me to see more miracles as I minister under your authority and with your authority. Amen!

MANIPULATED TRUTH. By Pastor Fernando

SCRIPTURE - Genesis 12:10-16

¹⁰ Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. ¹¹ As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "I know what a beautiful woman you are. ¹² When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live. ¹³ Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you."

¹⁴ When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. ¹⁵ And when Pharaoh's officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. ¹⁶ He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.

OBSERVATION

Abram had great faith in leaving everything behind in order to follow God, but had fears about what others can do to him. In one hand he has great courage to blaze new trails, but on the other he worries too much. His anxiousness causes him to manipulate the truth while in Egypt. So he conveniently hides his marriage with Sarai but reveals that she was his half sister. He saves himself from scrutiny, but places his wife in danger. At first, everything seems fine. Abram gets a lot of stuff, what many would consider a "blessing." But behind Abram spin came along a curse that was affecting Pharaoh's household.

APPLICATION

Manipulating the truth is a dangerous yet very common practice in our 21st Century filled with immediate information and multiple media outlets. Data is exchanged so fast that the truth gets buried, sometimes intentionally, and often times unintentionally. At the same time, people grow suspicious and skeptical because they do not trust the sources of information. We don't know anymore what's the truth, what's spin, what's manipulation, and what is intentional misinformation.

In my personal life I can see myself struggling the same way Abram did: having faith for great things, but anxious and fearful about other things. Honesty is compromised very often not out of malice, but out of fear. And if I'm not careful, I will manipulate the truth just as Abram did. I could think that I'm safe, while the reality is that others will be vulnerable and in great danger. I could get immediate rewards, but at the end I may experience terrible consequences. For that reason, I must always have a strong commitment with honesty. Sometimes living in the truth is more painful that living in a spin of the truth. But at the end, the truth always prevails and rewards those who hold her dear.

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the lack of honesty that sometimes comes in my life out of fear. Please set me free from anything that makes me anxious and causes me to compromise the truth. Let me discern between the truth and manipulated truth. Satan loves to twist the truth and I don't want to be like Him. He is the father of lies and I don't want to be related to him. I want to be your child and live in the light, embracing the truth, as painful as it is at times. Amen!

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES. By Pastor Fernando

SCRIPTURE - Luke 4:13-14

"When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit..."

OBSERVATION

After a difficult time of testing in the desert, Jesus did not compromise His convictions and commitments and came out of the temptation in the power of the Spirit. Jesus put aside His divine powers and became fully human human, vulnerable to all kinds of temptations. The enemy was trying to ruin Jesus' calling, but the Lord resisted each trial and proved Himself worthy of the empowerment of the Spirit. As a human being, Jesus did not took His divine powers back, they were granted by the Father as a reward for His courage and determination to obey God's Word. The enemy tried to tempt Jesus over and over again when the Lord was the most vulnerable, but Jesus remained faithful, securing a constant flow of the Spirit's power in His life, not only to do miracles, but to keep moving forward towards the plan of God for His life.

APPLICATION

This passage always reminds me that in order to live empowered by the Holy Spirit we need to remain faithful to God's ways. We have an enemy, a tempter, that is constantly pushing our buttons, taking advantage of our weakest moments, and capitalizing in our failures. It would be depressing to think about all the opportunities for empowerment I missed because of my failed tests. However, the good news is that Peter was a disciple that also missed many opportunities because of his unfaithfulness, but that God restored and empowered when he increased in faithfulness and trusted God.

I'm aware of the many missed opportunities that I let go because of my sin and lack of faithfulness to God's ways. But I'm also aware that my life story is still in process. The first chapters may have a lot of failures, but I'm convinced that many things are yet to be done. I need to uproot any seeds of sin that I planted and sow seeds of obedience in my life. Each test will be difficult, but as I remain faithful, I will be endowed with more power in the Spirit to glorify God, to be used by Him for supernatural purposes, and to fulfill the calling He has for my life.

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, once again I come to you in repentance for the many seeds of sin I have planted and continue nurturing in my life. Please help me to uproot them and to plant seeds of obedience. I need your strength when the tempter comes. I want to remain faithful and reap the reward of a consistent empowerment of your Spirit in my personal life and ministry. Help us to never miss opportunities for miracles because of our unfaithfulness. And let your name be glorified in our lives. Amen!