What are you pursuing?

Everyone is pursuing something. Whether that be wealth, image, God, church, etc...whether we realize it or not, we are all striving after a goal. What is your goal? What are you pursuing?

Solomon was a wise man, in fact after Christ he was the wisest man on earth. He was not only wise but had everything he wanted...everything he laid his eyes on he got. "I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
"I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my work,
and this was the reward for all my labor." (Ecclesiastes 2:10)
When thinking about Solomon and the way he lived we are quick to judge and make comments like, "How could he live like that?" and we often fail to take the advice he offers...priceless wisdom in fact.

Although we would never admit it we tend, even as Christians, to find satisfaction or contentment in worldly passions and pursuits. Why is it when we put on a new outfit we feel better about ourselves? Or why when we drive a nice car do we want others to see? Why do we dream about having a "perfect" American family or home? Or why do we dream the "American dream"? Although many of these things are not bad in and of themselves there is a problem when these things become consuming and things that we pursue over holiness and the Lord. We should have our hearts set and our minds focused solely on the Lord and glorifying Him and IF He chooses to bless us with earthly blessings then praise Him, but those things should never be our goals or the things that bring happiness. Because the reality is THEY DO NOT. We deceive ourselves in thinking that these material things and this dreams of the future will bring us more joy or contentment because it won't. The only thing that will bring you joy or true satisfaction is the Lord. And the way to pursue Him is through fellowship in His Word.

Getting in the Word will allow you to learn more about the greatness of our King and Creator and cause us to humbly worship and praise! How often do we fail to realize how great our God is. Why do we not pursue Him first and foremost like we should?

We need to really re-evaluate our lives. We need to look at our hearts and be honest with ourselves and find out what we are truly pursuing. If it isn't Christ may we take Solomon's wisdom to heart and radically change our lives.

Ecclesiastes 2:26
"To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind."

So What are you Pursuing?

A Mark of a True Believer

As Christians, true disciples of the Lord, this constant battle with sin lingers on. Although we learn to ward it off in more creative and effective ways, until we meet our Maker in eternity we will struggle.

This Sunday at Compass, Pastor Mike spoke on a powerful topic: Our Fight With Sin...Recalling Why This Is SO Important"

Hebrews 12:14-17 says, " Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that {there be} no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a {single} meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.


1. Realize an All-Out Fight with Sin is REQUIRED

a. Salvation is by grace (v 15)
-To understand sanctification, you must first understand justification by Christ alone
-Titus 3:4-5 saved by grace and not works
-Galatians 5:2

b. Real Grace Fights Sin (v 14)
-Pursue holiness
-if you understand grace you will battle sin
-Ephesians 2:8-10
-Titus 2:11-14

c. Contradictions are Counterfeits (v 16-17)
-Titus 1:16
-1 John 3:6-10
-Don't be led astray
-The Devil's work is in the activity of sin in your life
-cannot interpret Word of God by your experiences only your experiences by the Word of God
-Matthew 7:16- recognized by fruits

2. Fear the Consequences of Ongoing Sin
-bitter bad-fruit will be growing in your life and cause trouble for you and others

a. Church will be hurt (v 15)
-defile-contaminate, little bit of bad makes a lot of impact on the big
-1 Peter 2:12-15

b. Church Goers Aren't Saved (v 14, 16-17)
-Matthew 7
-James 1:22
-you are an overseer and you are your brothers keeper!

3. Evaluate Yourself and CARE about others (v 15, 16a)
-Oversee the people that are around you
-Stop with the excuses
-Obey the passage and oversee the circle of influence put in your life
-Confront one another in love
-Have the Matthew 7 perspective
-2 Corinthians 5:10-11
-Galatians 6:1-3
-You have the Holy Spirit to help you!
-Hebrews 4:11-16, God is our Strength and He wants to help us

What do we take away from this powerful passage of scripture? As TRUE disciples of the Lord we will battle sin in our lives constantly. The Lord will help us in doing this. Although we will never be perfect we will fall less and less easily into those things that once tempted us the most. We need to fight the good fight and run the race of faith!!! :)

But God...

I was privileged to grow up in a Christian home where I was blessed with God-fearing parents and the opportunity to attend a church and learn biblical truths at a very young age. I vividly remember "accepting" Jesus into my heart at four because of the fear of hell that I had. Throughout the next ten years of my life I strove to be the "best" and "perfect" Christian I could be. From the outside it appeared I was following the Lord. I did and said all the right things. However I remember "re-dedicating" my life time and time again because of the fear that I had lost my salvation and the fear of hell. My motivations for following the Lord were selfish and purely expressed outwardly. The praise and acclamation I received from those around me puffed up my pride and I gloried in myself and how great everyone thought I was. I had achieved what I thought was spiritual maturity.

It wasn't until I was 14 and doing a bible study with my mom that the Lord softened my calloused heart and opened my eyes to the reality of the Gospel message and what it truly meant to be a disciple of the Lord. IT was at that moment that I understood grace and true salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,not of works, lest anyone should boast." Boy had I boasted before this...and all in myself. This passage resonated in my heart. All along I had wanted a savior, but not a Lord. I believed the Gospel, understood it, and even evangelized it, but I hadn't trusted and committed to it fully. I had asked for forgiveness but hadn't humbly repented of my sin. And my works or good deeds were not merely a by-product of the grace I had been shown as Christ worked within me, but rather had been a means to gain man's empty praise.

I had finally grasped my utter depravity and my desperate need for a Savior and Lord. I realized salvation was a gift and my response of thanks came in the form of Him strengthening me daily to deny myself and follow Him. Matthew 10:38 says, "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." From that moment on God has continued to do a radical work in and through me as I am sanctified daily. The sins I once overlooked, I now despise. Although I am far...far...from completion I see myself slowly changing through Christ's power. My desires have changed and I desire for Christ to be magnified and glorified in my life. As Ephesians 4 says, I pray with Christ's help I will walk worthy of the calling.

I am SO amazed at the gift I have been given and my prayer's that I would be used as a tool for His glory. I won't lie when I say this life as His disciple is difficult. It is a daily battle to deny oneself and follow humbly after Him, but it is so satisfying and fulfilling. The more I surrender and know and learn Him the more content I become. I am SO in love with my Savior and Lord and can truly say He is my everything and apart from Him I am nothing. Ephesians 2:4 says, "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us..." That blows my mind!

A Precious Reminder

Today in chapel, Pastor Rick Anderson spoke to us from the sixteenth chapter of Judges. For those of you bible students...Samson and Delilah come to the forefront of your mind. A powerful story and reminder are to be found in the depths of the response, behavior, and character of Samson.

Judges 16:4-19 Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. 5 The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, "See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels [a] of silver."

6 So Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued."

7 Samson answered her, "If anyone ties me with seven fresh thongs [b] that have not been dried, I'll become as weak as any other man."

8 Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh thongs that had not been dried, and she tied him with them. 9 With men hidden in the room, she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" But he snapped the thongs as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.

10 Then Delilah said to Samson, "You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied."

11 He said, "If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I'll become as weak as any other man."

12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads.

13 Delilah then said to Samson, "Until now, you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied."
He replied, "If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I'll become as weak as any other man." So while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric 14 and [c] tightened it with the pin.
Again she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.

15 Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when you won't confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven't told me the secret of your great strength." 16 With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was tired to death.

17 So he told her everything. "No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man."

18 When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, "Come back once more; he has told me everything." So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. 19 Having put him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. [d] And his strength left him.

As a child we learn about Samson, this strong incredible character of the Bible who had quite "powerful" hair so to speak. However there is much more to the story. We first must realize that the strength and power that Samson had was not from his hair, that was rather a symbol of the strength that came from the Lord alone. (Philippians 4:13)

Samson was an able leader and a strong and courageous fighter, however although he could control armies and the sort he could rule his own body. He lacked self control and had difficulty controlling his own sinful lustful desires.

Samson was weakened in four areas:

1. Weakened by a WRONG Love
-Delilah may have liked Samson but she liked money and riches much more and the bribe from the Philistines was much more appealing than her relationship with him
-His love blinded him to open treachery
-He had an unholy love for her
Practically For Us:
a. Our hearts are TOO small to hold but one love, Jesus Christ
b. If we have a divided heart, we will loose our spiritual strength
c. Don't be surprised if the zeal you and strength you once had in Christ has faded if you love anything more than Him. He must be number 1.

2. Weakened by Worldly Play
-Delilah had asked him multiple times to participate in her scheme, he foolishly agreed
-This was not a harmless diversion
Practically For Us:
a. Familiarity with the world brings a lack of discernment along with contentment in the Lord
b. The more we play with the world, the more we stray from Him

3. Weakened by Ill Regard
-Samson takes that which was a privileged relationship with God and in essence trades it
Practically For Us:
a. What God has given to you is not to be played with
b. Do not play around with the world
c. Do not take your relationship with Him lightly

4. Weakened by Wicked Sympathy with Delilah
-She tricks and deceives him
-He follows along and gives away his heart
Practically For Us:
a. Don't let your relationship with anyone affect yours with God
b. Don't be weakened by the wearying pressures of the world that will last until you go home to heaven
c. Although we wrestle with fleshly temptations, do not ever give up the fight of faith...never say I can't take it anymore

Samson's story, his weakness, is a reminder, an example, encouragement, and warning to us to go on in the consecration of the strength of the Lord and don't let that be zapped as we deceive ourselves in this world. You will then be a sport for the enemies of God because you have fallen and failed. Be like David and pray for the Lord to search you and to know you to see if there are any wicked ways in you and to lead you in the path of righteousness!

Fruitful Growth in the Faith

One of my attempts this month is reading through the second epistle of Peter which has been such an amazing learning experience thus far. Peter sent this letter after he became increasingly concerned with the false teachers who were filtering into the churches throughout Asia Minor. He wrote this epistle to warn the beloved believers of Christ in the church about the dangerous heretical doctrinal teachings they were facing. He wrote this to expose these false teachers as well. Yet on a side note he motivates his readers to continue developing Christian character as John MacArthur writes and the ability the Christian believer has to be assured of his or her salvation.

2 Peter 1:1-11
"Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Making One's Calling and Election Sure
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."




Peter humbles himself as he defines his standing before the Lord and men as a "bond-servant of the Lord Jesus Christ". He reminds the believers of the equal gift of salvation that they all have in common because of God's righteousness imputed to them. Verse three brings in one of the most quoted verses in all of Scripture. As we are reminded and taught that HIS, Jesus Christ's, power is the source of the believer's sufficiency and that the genuine or real Christian can be secure in their salvation as they continue to grow in the faith. Not only this but we have all that we need for life in God and in His Word. We also have all we need for godliness or to live holy and reverent lives that obey and honor the Lord. And our knowledge of Him is not facts that we can recite, but rather a learned personal relationship with the Maker. He closes verse three with the reminder that salvation is based on nothing more than the grace of God through the work on the cross and that the sinner was utterly depraved and played no role in this what so ever. Immediately after Peter reminds us that those who are in Christ have been granted a precious promise in being born again.

For this reason Peter writes that because of all that God has given us we cannot be indifferent but must diligently with much effort live lives that honor God. The Christian life is not an easy one. Although it yields precious fruit there is pruning and tough work involved. Fruitful growth in the faith requires deepening your knowledge and relationship of and with the Lord. This faith will produce moral excellence (excellence produced in life, performing all deeds to the best of our God-given ability), knowledge (insight and truth understood), self control (the ability to restrain oneself from sin), perseverance (patience and endurance in doing what is right), godliness (live obediently toward God), and brotherly kindness (mutual sacrifice for one another). What a fruitful life the Christian has been called to live. This should motivate and spur us on to be growing in the faith that we might produce an abundance of fruit in our lives.

What happens if there is a lack of these things in ones life? This "Christian" is unable to be sure of his or her salvation. Fruit proves faith. In verse 10 Peter encourages the believers assurance of salvation can be found in the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives. And that the Christian who pursues these things he spoke about earlier is not guaranteed to enjoy this present life but can hope in the enjoyment of eternity and the rich reward in that life.

What amazing truths Peter teaches the believers in Asia Minor as well as the Christians today, and the great reminder that he gives of being fruitful in our faith!