More Than Bread

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I'm going to share a couple of stories in this episode, stories of circle-makers. A circle-maker is a man or woman of undaunted faith who pours their heart out to God in prayer. The circle-maker story of Honi and Joshua are two of my favorites. As you listen to their stories, put yourself in the circle, and listen in...what are you praying for?

I'm praying that this episode leads someone (who is already leaning that way) to become a circle-maker. 

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This one is a little bit different from my Monday episodes. This is a prayer exercise that I used this week at Encounter. It's a prayer exercise focused on Jesus. There is nothing more than Jesus, for He is nothing less than God, and no one else can bring us a life that thrives like Him. Nothing more, nothing less, no one else.

Take a bit of time today and ponder Christ!

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That's the story of my life. We usually say that when something bad happens. But what if Jesus is the story of your life? What if resurrection is the story of your life?  What's the story of your life?  Paul writes in 2 Timothy 2:8, "Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David.  This is my gospel." What's Paul  saying?  He's saying, "Jesus is my story. Jesus...who died for me, was raised from  dead by God and now is King of the world." 

So remember Jesus.  Don't forget to remember Jesus. The next time you think about giving up, remember Jesus.  The next time you're angry at God, and you're questioning whether or not He really loves you, remember Jesus.  Because Jesus is the story of your life!

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Here's what I think. I think that you don't know the whole story of your life.  Sometimes we look at chapters in our lives and we begin to think that’s my whole story.  Did you ever hear someone say, "That’s the story of my life?" Did you ever say it? It usually pops out after a failure or when circumstances are less than we had hoped.  We say it in the midst of the hard  chapters. Sometimes it’s said in despair.  But you don’t know the whole story, not even your own. Because you aren’t the author God is.  And here is what I know about God...

God uses imperfect people and difficult circumstances to write his epic story. And you are part of that story. So, what's your story?

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In this episode, I want to talk about the rule of the first step. Sometimes God seeks to test and grow our faith all at the same time. It's called the rule of the first step. You find it all over the place in the Bible. I am sufficient for you, we hear God whisper.  I will be with you.  I will give you my power.  I will show you my glory.  I will cause others to be amazed by what I do in you and through you.  But I'm going to ask you to take the first step.  I'm going to ask you to take a risk.

It's the rule of the first step.  Peter you can walk on the water, but first you need to step out of the boat.  The 5000 don't get fed until a young man first steps forward to give up his lunch.  God doesn't deliver his people till Esther risks her life by stepping forward to the King. Resurrection doesn't happen till Jesus sets his face to Jerusalem to walk up Golgotha with a cross on his back. 

Sometimes you have to step into your miracle!

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 In Joshua 3, God leads the people of God to an uncrossable river? Most of the year this river was easily crossable, but He brought them to the river during harvest, which was a time when the river was impossible. Why did He do that? Well let me give the easy answer. He brought them to that river at that time, because He was getting ready to do a miracle.  I don't know if you have ever noticed this, but every miracle starts with a problem. No problem. No need for a miracle.  

Did you ever notice how everyone wants a miracle but no one ever wants to need a miracle?  Why did God bring them to the river at this moment in time?  Perhaps because from God's perspective, that uncrossable river was an opportunity to seed an undaunted faith in their hearts. What is your uncrossable river?

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You have been chosen by Christ, the most amazing man to ever inhabit heaven and earth. He chose you for this mission. He picked you up and exchanged your existence for his life. And now you are part of the Kingdom that will never end. And it's more than just being on a team, you have been adopted into the family of the creator of the universe. Nothing taking place in the world today is beyond his leadership. He is first in everything. And you are on his team. And He's sovereignly placed you in circles where your gifts and abilities will make a difference.

And one of those circles is the circle where you live. You don't have a neighbor who's beyond his love, beyond his redemptive ability. He is crazy in love with your neighbors. He's not annoyed by them; hasn't given up on them. In fact he's already working-future-wonders in their lives. And He's inviting you to join Him in your neighborhood! What if Jesus lived next door?

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Courage is simply what we do when we love someone or something more than we love ourselves. When we love someone or something more than we love ourselves we do courageous stuff! And courage is closely related to undaunted faith, right? 

In this episode, I'm going to teach you a few Hebrew words, words like tiqvah and ezer. And in the end, I'll ask you if you are an ezer, a life-saver. Like Rahab, are you an ezer?

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Among the people of northern Natal in South Africa, the most common greeting, like hello in English, is the expression: Sawu Bona. It literally means,  I see you. You are seen. If I don't see you, far more importantly, God does. In fact, as I read this chapter, I kept sensing that God simply wanted me to tell you, he sees you. You are seen. Isn't that one of the results of that common promise, "I will be with you." 

When we wonder, God do you see me? Isaiah 43:1-3 is God's answer, "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."

He sees you. He knows you. And He loves you. Let that grow your faith!

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Hey what voices are getting your ears right now? Or what influencers are getting your scrolling eyes right now? There are voices out there that some of you have listened to all your life. Some of them were bad voices; made you feel like you had nothing to offer the world, no one will ever love you and you can't be fixed. Some of you on the other hand, have had some great voices speaking into your life through the years; words of affirmation, words of courage, words of love, words of wisdom. Those words have made a significant difference in your life and sometime this week, you need to tell God and those people thank you.  

But whether the voices of the people in your life have been good or bad. There is one voice above all others that we need to hear. That's the voice that will give you an undaunted faith! Who is getting your ears?