Monday, July 25, 2011

Just a Thought | An OLD Emaill Review from pd

Hey Guys,

 

I just got a note from Yireh reminding me of one of the old emails I sent out a year ago. It is really pretty good and encouraged me today, which is funny since often I don’t reread my own stuff. However, I wanted to forward the chain back to all of us and say that this is a great reread! ;)

 

Have a great week!

 

Dustin Hedrick

Lead Pastor

 

NOTE FROM YIREH:

 

 

Hey PD,

 

Re-reading some of the old stuff and just wanted to encourage you today how much it continues to speak to me. Keep at it pastor, the sheep are growing! 

 

Lots of love,

YRM

 

PD’s OLD EMAIL:

 

Hey Guys,

I will be sending a more formal Thread email later about a topic that Devin has encouraged me to review. It will be about “De-Teching” & being a physical minimalist in order to be a spiritual giant.

But, before I send that, I came across this message by Henry Blackaby and wanted to send it today. I wanted to remind us to every time we read Scripture, stop and ask Poppa to speak to us. Every time we hear a sermon, ask Poppa to speak to us personally about it. And I mean, literally stopping before we listen, read or whatever and say, “Poppa, please speak to me and apply this to my life…”

And then just during the listening or reading, literally focusing in and asking yourself over and over during the exercise, “How does this apply to me?”

If we do that and then journal our results, I think we would be amazed to see what Poppa speaks. We can even do this with news, current events and/or experiences in our day to day lives. For instance, “Jesus, what are you doing in Haiti right now and how can I help You?”

You get it? I mean, you may not always find relevance, but at least you can keep the conversation with God the Father, Jesus and Spirit open and available. It may help you even make better sense out of the challenges and trials in life. And you know, I have found it is fun to connect the dots. It’s like life is a huge puzzle and I am always trying to put the pieces together. I mean, the truth is that EVERYTHING has a purpose. I just have to see what that purpose is and maximize the potential.

Hope that makes sense…

Blessings!

pd

The Penetrating Word of God

Day-by-Day

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb 4:12)

Does God’s word ever cause you discomfort? When you read the Bible does what you read make you uneasy? Do you find when you listen to sermons, that the Scripture seems aimed directly at you? You are experiencing the reality that the word of God is alive and can read your thoughts and judge your intentions.

When God’s word speaks to you it is always for a purpose. God knows your heart and knows what you need to do to bring your life into conformity to Christ. If you have a problem with sinful talk, the word that comes to you will address the tongue. If you are struggling to forgive, God’s word will confront you with His standard for forgiveness. If pride has a stronghold in your life, God’s word will speak to you about humility. Whatever sin needs addressing, you will find you are confronted by God’s word on the matter.

One way you can escape the discomfort of conviction is to avoid hearing God speak to you. You may neglect reading your Bible and stay away from places where it is taught. You may avoid those whom you know will uphold the truths of Scripture. The best response, however, is to pray as the psalmist did: “Search me, O God, and know my heart” (Ps. 139:23). Regularly allow the word of God to wash over you and find any sin or impurity (Eph. 5:26). Always make the connection between your life and what God is saying to you through His word. Make a habit of taking every word from God seriously, knowing that it is able to judge your heart and mind.

 H Blackaby

 

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