Bread of Life

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry." John 6:35

What emboldens you to take action? If someone were about to harm my family I would be moved to take action. If I saw a baby in need I would be motivated to take action. I believe that the Word of God is catalyst for us to take action. As we seek after God through His Holy Word we ought to be moved in to action. It's the stirring of the Holy Spirit!

There is much more to your Bible Study for Spiritual Growth than just reading and responding to scriptures. If you really want to grow in the Lord, you will have to make a commitment to yourself that you will seek Him - even when it is not convenient.

God loves you, and He wants more for you. But, God operates in covenants and promises. To receive a promise you read in the Word of God, you can't just know it. You have to meditate on it until it becomes a part of who you are.

BLESSED is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly,
...But his delight and desire
are in the law of the Lord,
and on His law
(the precepts, the instructions,
the teachings of God)
he habitually meditates
(ponders & studies)
by day and by night.
-Psalms 1:1,2 (Amplified)

Do you delight in the teachings and instructions of God? Do they bring you joy and peace as you think on them throughout the day? That is what happens when they become a part of you.

The Lord promises you:
I love those who love me,
and those who seek me early
and diligently shall find me.
-Proverbs 8:17 (Amplified)

It is only through making time to find Him daily that you will become the Christian you know you are pre-destined to be. Now, I must warn you. There is a dangerous epidemic plaguing much of the Body of Christ today. It is called Spiritual Complacency. Don't let it infect you. For some reason, as Christians, we get satisfied with where we are in God. We assume that since we have followed God for X number of years, we don't need a Bible study for Spiritual Growth. We are as spiritually mature as we are going to get.

Well, Beloved, I have exciting news for you. No matter where you are in the Lord,

...if from there you will seek
(inquire for and require as necessity)
the Lord your God,
you will find Him
if you [truly]seek Him
with all your heart [and mind] and soul and life.
-Deuteronomy 4:29 (Amplified)

Every Step Forward

By Dr. James MacDonald (This is a pastor that I listen to often. I was moved by what he has written here and offer it to you.)


Every good step you’ve made in your spiritual life has been a step of humility.

Isn’t that right? Think about the seasons of growth you’ve experienced in your walk with Christ—those times when your faith went to the next level. Those seasons are marked by a sincere brokenness before God that opens our hearts to a genuine transformational encounter with the living Christ.

If you can point to a time when you came to Jesus for salvation, you know what humility is. On that day you said, “God, I need You. I need Your grace. I need Your forgiveness. There’s nothing in myself that can earn Your favor, I need what You’re offering.”

That’s humility. You can’t have a passionate, persevering relationship with Christ without it. You need to have the capacity, first to submit yourself to God, then submit yourself to the difficult circumstances of life to experience the full joy God intends for you to know. God will often use the painful circumstances of life to soften our hearts and to bring us to the point of brokenness to bow before Him. In those circumstances, humility looks like this: “Lord, You’re in control. You’ve allowed this for a reason. What do you want to teach me?” God loves that moment when you’re like, “Tell me what are You trying to teach me—I want to learn it. I want whatever it is You have for me.” If you lack wisdom, ask. “I want to learn something new in this, God. I don’t want to keep aching over the same stuff over and over! What is it, Lord?” There’s humility in that. And in that place, God will give you grace.

Humility stands empty-handed before God. No demands, no requests. In seasons like this, all we can do is fall into the embrace of our loving Savior and find Him to be enough. Humility says “no” to the clamoring voice of our flesh, “no” to the pride and self-confidence that has made us so restless and unhappy for so long.

I’ll say it again, every step forward is a step of humility.

Will I live a proud or a humble life? Hebrews 3 and 4 tells us all about Jesus . . . how He humbled Himself, how faithful He is. His model runs counter-culture to our world that wants to be on top . . . first. We want to stand out, but Jesus made Himself nothing. Now, there will be a day when every knee will bow before the Lord, but in God’s program, humility comes before exaltation.

If it’s true (and it is) that every step forward in your Christian life is a step of humility, then it’s also true that every step of pride is a step backward. We need God to help us experience an overwhelming sense of our own personal sinfulness and to bow our heads before Him daily. Through His strength alone, let’s get this pride problem dealt with. If this is your desire, then pray along with me,

Father, we humble ourselves before You. In bowing our heads and our hearts, we’re saying something—we’re saying that You are God and we are not. You are the ruler; we are nothing. You are everything. Lord, there’s great joy in that. How much misery in our lives has come from asserting ourselves and proving ourselves? Forgive us for the lost opportunities to live for you because of our own pride. Strip us now of anything that promotes ourselves and fill us with Your Spirit.

Might the example of Christ stir within us a fresh desire to live lives of humility. Help us to see the joy and freedom found in that secret place. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

60-60 Experiment

Starting the 60-60 Experiment:

For the next 60 days, try to stay in a continuous, honest conversation with God, willing to do his will moment by moment.

Set a watch or alarm to beep every 60 minutes, and put up sticky notes & reminders around you home, car & office, as a reminder to stay connected.

Try to turn your thoughts back to God all throughout the day, as often as you can. This simple conscious contact with God isn't easy, but it's all you have to do - everything else will begin to fall into place over time. Even if you're not yet convinced this is true, try it. Every 60 minutes, stop and recall "God is with me right now..." and let that propel you to ask God "Show me your will this next moment. I want to be willing to do your will as an act of love toward you."

Begin the experiment and see if this isn't the path to a far more satisfying life.



Get a Spiritual Running Partner?

Just like athletes who train to reach physical goals, we need spiritual training partners to provide encouragement, pacing, and motivation for our spiritual goals. A running partner is another person who I can trust with my struggles and concerns, as well as my dreams and goals. We encourage each other to become all God intends us to be.

A running partner is another person (or couple of people) who I am willing to learn to entrust with my deepest concerns, spiritual struggles, and sins, as well as dreams, successes, and plans to grow.

Together, we'll agree to walk together for a season in complete honesty to help each other grow spiritually to be more like Christ. Like exercise partners, we are running with each other along a spiritual path. The purpose of running together is to provide the encouragement, pacing, and motivation we all need to keep running toward wholeness.

We are agreeing to listen, to care, to pray for one another, to point out patterns we see, and to urge each other to keep moving forward in growth to become all God intended us to be.

The goal is to think, live, and act more and more like Jesus would if he were living my life, working at my job, and in my relationships.


Who Should I Look For?

A person you already trust who is part of your church (best for the long-term) or from outside your church.
Husbands and wives can be partners, but often it is difficult to get detached feedback because of proximity and affect on each other.
You can have more than one running partner, but be careful not to spread yourself too thin.

How Does it Work?

Agree to “run together” for a defined period of time. (take it in short bursts so nobody feels stuck)
Set a time and place to meet or have a phone appointment weekly, and agree to meet face-to-face at least monthly.
Take turns asking each other the “How Are You Running” questions. Let the conversation go where the Holy Spirit leads. Pay attention to upholding the “Rules of Running.” We suggest you re-read the rules before each meeting as a reminder.

Rules of Running

Accept and encourage as often as possible.
Ask questions often; give advice once with permission.
Give reproof or correction only when absolutely necessary.
Never give judgment.
Always protect confidentiality.

“How Are You Running” Questions

What do you think God is trying to do in your life right now?
How have you experienced the fruits of the Spirit lately (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control)?
How have you treated those you do life with?
What sin have you been conscious of this week?
If there’s one area you need to focus on to better love God, love people, build character, or be the body (Christ’s Church), what would it be?
What’s one thing you will intentionally do to take steps of growth in this area?
Have you said the “last 10%” or have you held back today?

"60-60 Experiment" from the book Soul Revolution

Tuesday Meal Fast, July 15th

Acts 9:10-12
10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.”

As you can see I have added a verse to our scripture for this week. Over the pass couple of weeks I have found my focus on vision. It seem as if God says been saying to me that I should call us to remember the vision. Our vision has the greatest importance to what God is calling us to. It is important to remember that we are striving to be intentionally multi-ethnic. We want our worship to reflect the that diversity. Most of all we want to see people receive Christ as their Lord and Savior. As you read the Acts text and some of the text below. Enter a time of prayer remembering our vision. Visions like ours only come by dependence on God and intentional work by us. I have placed list of items at the bottom to focus your prayer time around.

OUR VISION NEEDS FAITH...
1. Faith in the power of the gospel
a. To save souls - Ro 1:16-17
b. To produce souls that have been born again - 1 Pe 1:22-25
2. Faith in the power of the Lord
a. To open doors for His prepared servants - 1 Co 16:8-9; Re 3:8
b. To empower His servants wanting to do His will - Ph 4:13; Ep 3:16,20

OUR VISION NEEDS BOLDNESS...
1. A virtue displayed often by the early Christians - Ac 4:13; 9:27; 13:46; 14:3; 19:8; 28:31
2. For which they prayed and solicited prayers - Ac 4:29,30; Ep 6:19-20
3. A boldness based upon our hope in Christ - 2 Co 3:12
4. To say what needs to be said, when it needs to be said, despite the circumstances - 1 Th 2:2

OUR VISION NEEDS PERSISTENCE...
1. Not losing heart, for we shall reap in due time - Ga 6:9
2. Always abounding, knowing that our labor is not in vain - 1 Co15:58

-- Many visions are never realized because people give up too soon!

Prayer Focus
1) Musicians that can help us reflect the diversity that we seek.
2) A team of volunteers that can work with Jr. & Sr. high young people.
3) People with the heart for children ministry to be added to the team.
4) Latino persons that desire to worship in a multi- ethnic setting.
5) Hmong persons that desire to worship in a multi- ethnic setting.

Tuesday Meal Fast, July 1st

Joel 2:27-28

27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame. 28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.

God had abundantly blessed Judah, but the people had taken God and His blessings for granted. Their faith had degenerated into an empty formalism and their lives into moral decadence. "Under divine inspiration Joel told the people that the locust plague was a warning of a greater judgment that was imminent unless they repented and returned to full fellowship with God. If they did, God would abundantly pardon them, restore the health of the land, and give them again the elements needed to offer the sacrifices. The ceremonial system was designed to express a heart relationship with God. By their sin they had forfeited any right to religious ceremony"

The above words come from Al Maxey who is commenting on this minor prophet. As I read his word it made me stop and think about the ways in which I may be take God and His blessings for granted. Have I in any way reduced my relationship with God down to empty formalism? This is not the place that i desire my relationship with God to be. I do not want anything in my life to hinder what God is trying to in my life or with ministry of The Compass.

So here are my questions for you as you consider this scripture during your meal fast.
1) Are you taking God for granted?
2) What are the areas in your life that you need to repent of?
3) Could any of your actions be hindering the ministry of The Compass?

As you pray today and wait to hear from God. Please pray for God's continual direction of our ministry together. Hold up the need for our weekly location. As well we need God to provide Kingdom Labors so that we can do the work that our Lord has set before us. As always if you have any comments or feel God pressing anything on you about our ministry please use the comment button below. May God bless you during this fast.

Tuesday Meal Fast, June 17th

Zephaniah 3:16-17 


16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: 
 “Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. 
17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

I prefer explaining this text as the calm silent joy in the possession of the object of one's love, too great for words to express: just as God after the six days of creation rested with silent satisfaction in His work, for "behold it was very good" (Genesis 1:31, 2:2). So the parallel clause by contrast expresses the joy, not kept silent as this, but uttered in "singing."

He will rejoice over you with joy, He will not only be well pleased with you, upon your repentance and reformation, He will take you into His favor, but He will take a complacency in you, as the bridegroom does in his bride, or the bride in her ornaments, Isaiah 62:3-5. The conversion of sinners and the consolation of saints are the joy of angels, for they are the joy of God him-self.

Where are the places in your life that you know God has been singing over you and the places you need God to sing over you? What other insight has God shown you in this scripture? Feel free to send a comment back to me.

The reason for our time of fasting (weather you do a meal fast or an all day fast) for June and July is to direct our time of prayer towards our needs. Here are some of our needs:
1) We need a gifted person to lead our children's ministry for the long term.
2) We need more labors that can continue to help us grow and equip people for the work that God has for us.
3) We need our location locked down as we look towards September and the start of our weekly worship services.

Wake Up and Draw Near

“Let us then draw the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” Hebrews 4:16

It is a great thing to know that we don’t need to wake God up since the God who watches over us neither slumbers nor sleeps Psalm 121:3! In reality, we’re the ones who need to wake up. We need to wake up to the truth that we are not as capable as we think we are to deal with life’s challenges; that our wisdom and instincts are flawed; that trying to manage life by the seat of our pants usually gets us into a heap of trouble.

So, thankfully, the writer to the Hebrews assures us that we can come to Jesus with what the text literally says is “unstaggering confidence”—confidence that He understands our plight and is ready to help us in our time of need. And, in case you’re wondering how He will help you in your time of need, think about His grace that will help you endure, His mercy, His power to overcome, His wisdom to show you the way. And don’t forget His calming presence and His peace that passes understanding in the midst of life’s storms. They are all available for the asking!

So, next time you are overwhelmed with life and don’t know what to do, take a little advice from my friend Eloise: wake Him up! And don’t wait until He is your last resort. You’ll get exhausted and disheartened if you try to bail out your boat all by yourself!

There is an old song that people sing in churches. It goes, “I need thee, Oh, I need thee! Every hour I need thee! Oh, bless me now my Savior, I come to thee.” You’ll need Him sometime—probably today—so make that the theme song of your life.

YOUR JOURNEY…
Would you say that Jesus is your first option when life gets in your face? Or is He your last resort?

What specific steps can you take toward being aware of God’s presence and desire to step in and help you?

At least once today, plan to intentionally call on God. Ask for His wisdom to know what to do and His grace to do it in a way that would be pleasing to Him. Make it a daily!

This has been adapted from some recent reading.