Enemy Takedown... The X Factor Devotional - Day Thirty Two - February 23, 2010

“And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.”    
Matthew 6:13

Jesus taught us much about prayer in word and in action.  “The Disciple’s Prayer,” is a part of Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.  It’s the model prayer, and it gives us an outline of the subjects we should pray over.

At the close of the prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray for the Father’s direction for our day.  It includes a healthy understanding of our enemy and his ability to deceive us away from the Father’s will for our lives.  Satan loves to bring the child of God into the place of temptation and ultimately, after we have surrendered to temptation, to the place of bondage.  Not cool!

We should pray every day for God to lead us in the paths of righteousness.  Pray He will give us daily deliverance from the enemy’s power and deceit.  The enemy never ceases his relentless attacks.  Therefore, prayer should be a vital part of our daily life.

Of course, we have opportunity for complete victory over all of the enemy’s attacks.  As believers in Jesus Christ, we know the King of the Kingdom.  It’s His kingdom to which we belong, and after prayer, we are refocused on kingdom priorities. 

Prayer Focus: Pray God will give the people of Impact a spirit of prayer.  Pray He will clearly direct us and protect us from the evil one. 

Take time to focus on God’s greatness and thank Him for the vision He has given our church.  Pray during this spiritual journey, He will reveal to you how you can use your time, talents, and treasures to further this vision for His glory.

Everyone Has A Dream... The X Factor Devotional - Day Thirty - February 19, 2010

“He said to them, ‘Listen to this dream I had.’”
Genesis 37:6

In 1989, a movie called “Field of Dreams” was released.  Kevin Costner played Ray Kincella, a 37 year-old man who had never done a crazy thing in his life until he heard a voice one day that said, “Build it and he will come.”  You see, Ray had had a stormy relationship with his dad.  As a rebellious child of the 60’s, he scorned his dad who loved baseball, refusing even to play catch with him.  His father died before he could make things right.  When Ray plowed his cornfield over and made a baseball field, everyone said he was crazy for following his dream, but through the magic of the movie he could be reunited with his father as a young man.  The theology is certainly not correct, and the plot is nowhere near reality, but that is what makes the movies fun to watch.

One thing is for certain; people will come to a place where their dreams can be fulfilled.  God’s field of dreams is not in Iowa, but rather in the hearts of His people.  How do we know what a dream looks like?  This list below gives us a good description of what a God-given dream looks like:

• A God-given dream will stir your passion.
• A God-given dream will be humanly impossible to accomplish.
• A God-given dream will make an impression on you for a lifetime.
• A God-given dream will cause you to exercise strong faith.
• A God-given dream can be very scary.
• The enemy of our soul will attack a God-given dream.

Prayer Focus: Pray Impact will be a true “field of dreams” where people can find and fulfill their dreams.  Pray the whole congregation will be united in our dream to see more changed lives.  Pray we can be one so the world can be won.  Pray for church leaders to have discernment for decisions that affect this dream.  Ask God to protect our dream from the enemy.

Why Oakland Raiders Fans Would Make A Great Church – pt 2

Hatred For The Enemy

Among a sea of black and silver pride, you never get confused about who the Raiders opponents are. My first game with the Raider Nation involved the rivaled Denver Broncos.

Now I’m not the smartest guy in the world. In fact, I’m quite dense on numerous levels. But even the most brain deficient devotee knows better than to wear their Bronco gear into the dark recesses of a den of Raiders. That’s like pouring honey all over yourself and walking into a Bear-filled woods (no Chicago intent here… but if the shoe fits).

The abuse these poor Bronco fans took was staggering. Verbal blow by verbal blow, the dim-witted (buy loyal) Bronco fan would be hounded, cursed, screamed at and vocally abused in almost every way imaginable. One guy used his camcorder to record the whole experience of persecution. Me… I wasn’t a Raider fan going into this – but I most assuredly, out of respect if nothing else, had on a borrowed Howie Long Jersey. When in Rome…

Wouldn’t it be amazing if true followers of Christ would HATE the enemy as much as Raiders fans hate EVERYONE? Seriously. Why can’t so-called Christians stop dancing around the edges of enemy territory in areas such as pornography, gossip and apathy?

Believers would do well to learn from Raider fans. Anyone who is not a Raider fan is the enemy! And let me tell you – the enemy of the church is alive and well. Satan and his demons should be hated with the same intensity as a Broncos fan in Raider Nation.