Ephesians 3:20 - Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

1 Corinthians 2:9 – However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”–

What an amazing thought! Whatever we ask for or even think of, God can do more! It is easy to think of God doing more than what we ask for, but more than we think? Are we often times dreaming too small? I believe that God is waiting for us to ask for and think larger than we ever have.

He is waiting for us to break the box that surrounds our thinking, and believe for the greater things He has for us. Often times we under-ask God when we go to Him in prayer. Don’t under-ask; think and ask BIG!

God wants more for you and I than we think we want for ourselves.

It never ceases to amaze me that when we begin to really focus back in on God, the enemy really takes note. I can say that over the past 3-4 weeks, my time with God has never been better. I am digging into the Word like never before and seeing God work in the midst of our church.

Right now, I can say I at a place where a few things don’t make sense. I am seeking His wisdom and direction. The one thing that I know is that in the midst of the storms of our lives, He is our calming focus. No matter what you or I go through in life, God is always there. If doesn’t matter if we have the answers to the questions, the fact is, He is control and He will sustain us.

There is an interesting story in the book of Acts. In chapter 13 Paul and Barnabas were invited to speak on the Sabbath to a group of people. As they began to speak people began to understand God’s Word. So much so, they invited them back to speak the next week. The Scripture says that the next week the entire city showed up!

What happened next is the point of this post. The Jews began to criticize and cut down Paul and Barnabas for what they were doing. But it says that they never backed down from what God was calling them to do.

Listen, there will be critics and people who will cut you down. Remember, if God has called you to your assignment, then He will give you the boldness and courage to stand firm and never back down!

Mark 9:22b-23 in the Message translations states, “If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us! Jesus said, ‘If? There are no ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.’”

WOW! What a powerful statement. Simply believing with an unwavering faith can make things possible. It is not just the believing, but it is with the right heart that makes all things possible. It is the faith that we show that brings about the actions.

Many times Jesus told the sick and lame that their faith had made them well.

The message translation says it well. “IF?” See it is not about a question of if God wants to, but a question of if we want Him to.

What are you believing for today?

This week we continued our series of messages on worship. Man what an incredible day! I am always amazed at what God does in our midst.

• We experienced a great time in worship. The Holy Spirit was all over the place. It never ceases to amaze me what can happen when we totally give into the moving of the Holy Spirit in worship.
• We prayed for Haiti this morning. Man, what a dire need. We spoke about the need and ways Relevant is partnering together to help the relief. If you want more information on how to help go to our website: www.relevantnc.com/haiti
• We saw 5 new families visit with us. I love seeing new faces and families connecting with one another.

We are looking forward to continuing our series on worship next week with “How Do We Worship”

I can’t wait to see what God is going to do.

Over the next few days, I want to outline what I see as 3 characteristics of a faithful person. So here is part 1. Hope you enjoy!

Simplicity. Such a great thought, yet for many of us a very hard concept to put into practice.

Our lives have gotten busier and demands have gotten heavier. We often find ourselves packing our days and weeks with events, lunches, meetings, and oh, don’t forget the family! The problem comes, when we start to push God out of our lives because of the busyness.

This has been true in my life. I look for the “good things” to do and loose track of the “God things”.

In Matthew 6:33-34 Jesus gives us a great way to priorities and simplify:

1. Seek Him first.
2. “Then” Do everything else.

This weekend at Relevant Church we will be looking into this passage and going deeper on how to really simplify our lives. I hope that you take some time, as I did, and look at you life to see if something is out of balance.

Recently I have been challenged by the Holy Spirit to think about my priorities. I was challenged to think about how much time I am spending really digging into His word compared to leisure reading. Here is what I came away with:

1. A good book, no matter the content, should take the place of His Word. – Being a church planter has led me to some great resources. Now don’t get me wrong, I think we should always read something that will challenge us and teach us something new. But reading “Christian” material in lieu of His Word should never happen.
2. Personal reading time (reading that happens to grow our knowledge) should not have a higher priority that reading God’s Word. – We all have to read something beyond God’s Word, but if we are spending 1-2 hours reading something and then 15-30 minutes reading God’s word for our “devotion” time, something is wrong.  This is something that God really convicted me of. I was spending an hour reading for personal growth and 30 minutes in my devotional time with God.

By no means am I saying that you have to read a certain amount of time, but just a challenge to say “look at your priorities”.

This week at Relevant Church we will be talking about simplifying our lives in the midst of our chaos. If you are in the Charlotte NC area, come and check us out!

In just 2 days, I get to embark on a journey of a lifetime. Relevant Church opens its doors for our very first preview service on October 11th. This has been in the making for 5 years now. It has been an exciting journey, and I know that the fun is only beginning. We are looking forward to what God has in store for us at Relevant. Here is a little video promoting this weekend. We hope to see you there.