The Proof is in the Living... The X Factor Devotional - Day Twelve - January 26, 2010

“Trust in the Lord…Fear the Lord…Honor the Lord”
Proverbs 3:5-9

In order to receive the blessing of God, we must trust Him.  Trusting God is not some mere token confession you make from time to time.  Trusting God must be complete, total, daily reliance upon the promises of God.  Every day you will face the choice of either relying on your own understanding or trusting in Him.

You and I must choose to trust God.  When you come to those places in life where the line is drawn and the question is “Can I trust God?” your answer determines whether you grow or shrivel spiritually.  The issue is, “Which am I going to choose?”  When God told Noah to build the ark, it had never rained.  Noah chose to trust God.  Abraham left everything behind because he chose to trust God.  Joshua was faced with a decision, and he said, “Choose today whom you will serve… but as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”  Do you have this kind of trust in the Lord?

You can prove your trust in Him.  Trusting Him is real when you (1) acknowledge Him, (2) depart from evil, and (3) honor the Lord with your time, talent, and treasures.

Prayer Focus: Claim the following Scripture today and personalize it for Impact and for yourself: 

Hebrews 10:35-39, “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith.  And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.  But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.”

How does this apply to you personally?  Let God speak into your life.  How does it apply to Impact?  What do our people need to keep doing to move the ball forward at Impact?

Christmas Eve 2008

Happy Holidays! Well, MERRY CHRISTMAS! It was such a shocker in Bel Air yesterday. The lady at the counter said, "Merry Christmas" to me. I looked around to see if she would get fired or struck down by God... but nothing happened. I thanked her for not being scared to say such a heinous thing in public... on the clock. I think I'm so passionate about people saying Merry Christmas, instead of 'Happy Holidays,' because I am so passionate about this Holiday.

Yes, there are many other holidays where we get time off... or at least celebrate some particular day at hand. I think of Valentine's Day. Yes, I celebrate it. Yes, I get a card. Yes, it costs me money, time and energy. But I'm not real passionate about it. In fact, if they removed that special day from the calendar, I wouldn't give it a second thought.

We celebrate many birthdays of great men and presidents. We get time off for great endeavors like Memorial Day. There's also Labor Day and New Years Day. So many special days throughout the year. We even have one for April Fools!

But there's something special about Christmas and what it represents. I don't care that it was originally a pagan holiday that got swallowed up by those of faith. I care so much about this holiday because of Jesus. Same with Easter.

This Man has done so much for me and my family. Not only did He die on a cross, shed His blood, and provide the opportunity for me to live in Heaven forever. But what He has provided me so much in this lifetime... in the here and now. He's given me peace. My friend, Jeff Lasiter, once told me, "Peace is under-rated." I have repeated that 100 times since then. To have PEACE in one's life... THAT is a beautiful thing.

This Man has also given me a great family. Truly, three of the greatest joys of my life are living in the same house as me. Jesus' work on the cross has allowed me to spiritually mature and have a purpose to my life. There's another under-rated commodity - PURPOSE!

Jesus is the reason for it all. The 'holiday,' the time off, the celebration, and the effort & energy we put into this time of year. JESUS IS CHRISTMAS! And saying Happy Holidays... well, to me, it just short-changes and demeans the whole point. It robs the holiday of its power.

So, enjoy the time off, the presents, the family time, the great food... even the eggnog for some of you freaks. But above all - enjoy Jesus and what He has done. And, by all means, don't be ashamed of saying, "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" After all, that's the point!