Driving Under the Influence of Christ.

Stop whatever you are doing, no really STOP for just a moment....

Where have your thoughts been today? Where were most of your thoughts this weekend? Worrying about work, relationships, money....thinking about sex, drugs, when the next party is....where have your thoughts been?

JP really challenged me last week with living under the influence of Christ. I loved when he said, "TAKE YOUR THOUGHTS CAPTIVE. Doing this prevents the sin, which prevents death."

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5)

To be honest, my thoughts are all over the place much of the time. Thinking of where I need to be, what I need to be doing, am I doing good enough? Thoughts of wanting a relationship, a cute pair of jeans I saw, when can I go on vacation?

The problem with most of my thoughts is they have nothing to do with the Lord or trusting in him. My thoughts have all to do with my desires. "Driving under the influence of self." The last month or so I’ve really been working on taking my thoughts captive. This literally means turning my thoughts to truth right in that moment and away from doubt, selfish desires, worry etc. For example, the second I start wishing I had a relationship like I see many of my friends finding, I turn my thoughts to Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I turn to TRUTH, and find PEACE.

"Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace." (Romans 8:5-6)

Since taking my thoughts captive, I can attest to the fact it truly does keep you from sinning. Take one thought captive at a time and watch God work in your life. It is awesome. "When we stop driving under the influence of self, and start driving under the influence of Christ...we stand in HIS GRACE, not under his wrath."

"No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God." (1 John 3:9)

"We are set free, justified, and made righteous under the influence of Christ."

Where are your thoughts at? One at a time...take them captive.

www.theporchdallas.com

Come As You Are.

This past week I got to celebrate my parents' 32nd and my friends' 25th wedding anniversaries. While listening to Todd's message yesterday about John 3:16, I was drawn to him explaining what scripture means when it says "God so loved…”. I encourage you all to go back and listen to the message if you weren't able to attend.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

There seemed to be a theme lately of what love is. My parents and friends are a great reminder and example of love being selfless and unconditional, but even their love is nothing compared to the love of Christ.

I've struggled at times during my life of feeling unlovable by others and completely unworthy of Christ's love. The problem with this is there is nothing we can do to earn or separate us from God's love. God is love.

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins… God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:9-10,16)

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

I want to take this opportunity to invite you and any of your friends to come and see at The Porch tomorrow night. Before I understood the Gospel and God's love, I didn't understand how God could possibly love me because I've often ran from him and did what I wanted to. I really relate to LeCrae's song Take Me As I Am, the beginning of the song says…

I talked to a cat the other day and he was like, "Man, I really want to come to Christ, but I have to clean my life up first. Get my sins together..." I told him I used to think that way too. I thought I had to change myself before I could come to Christ, but CHRIST CHANGED ME.

I can totally relate to this, and maybe you can too. Maybe you are living in sin and don't understand why God would love you and send his only Son to die for YOU. Or maybe you are clinging onto things of this world that seem too great to let go of and surrender to Christ. No matter where you are and what you are going through, God meets you where you are. He loves you, and sometimes that means he loves you enough to change you. I am so stoked about this series we are starting tomorrow and can't wait to see how the Lord continues to sharpen us! COME AS YOU ARE...COME AND SEE!

Praying for you all~

www.theporchdallas.com

Are You All In?

I'm sitting in Arizona getting ready to head to the National Championship game! I can't begin to tell you how excited I am to be here and watch my Auburn Tigers! Auburn is known for a lot of things, but one thing I've loved this year is our slogan "AU Family All In". I was thinking about this slogan on the flight here and wondered: what if we were all truly sold out for Christ leveraging everything for Him and His Kingdom?

For big events that we are excited about we wait with such anticipation and prepare in so many ways. Taking off work, purchasing tickets, and packing orange and blue in this case. More importantly, what are we doing to prepare for Christ's return? Are we preparing with an even greater excitement and anticipation? It will be an even greater day than anything we can possibly imagine for those who have believed in their heart and confessed with their mouth that Jesus is Lord. (Romans 10)

Honestly, if we truly took a good look at our lives we'd probably see a common theme of selfishness and focus on the things of this world. How quickly we forget we are heirs to the Kingdom!

"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone." (Titus 3:3-8)

God's family, are you ALL IN? Are you leveraging everything for Him? Are you sharing the joy and hope you've found in the Lord with all those you meet? I was so encouraged last night when one of my friends took the opportunity to change the conversation away from football and all the glits and glam at this Auburn event and decided to talk about the Lord with one of my friends who now plays in the NFL. He could of asked for an autograph or picture, but instead he ceased that moment and leveraged it for the Kingdom. That is what's its about.

Praying for you all~

www.theporchdallas.com

Oh the Holidays...

I remember lying in bed Christmas Eve thinking, "here I am 27 years old sharing a room with my 3 ½ year old nephew surrounded by trains, Winnie the Pooh, and super heros...haha I never thought this would be the case!"

I laid there looking at my sweet nephew sound asleep and started praying for him. Praying that Garrett would know the Lord and trust Him as his Savior way earlier in life than I did. Praying that the Lord would be with him and protect him from all the pain I've felt and seen. I'd do anything to protect him from the pains and craziness of this world.

Then I started thinking about the trials I've faced, and I became so thankful that the Lord has used those tough times to draw me closer to him. Even recently I've been able to see so clear his transformation in my life through trials and can't help but praise Him! (Romans 5)

While chatting with a sweet friend this weekend she said something that I thought was so great, "God has used these trials and pain to ultimately show me a part of his heart that I otherwise wouldn't have know...I'm at a place where I've lost everything and He truly is all I have." Man, I pray I am always in a place where I feel that he is "all I have" or to put it in different words "He is my everything".

I had a blast this weekend with some amazing friends, but honestly my favorite part was right before we left. I think there were ten of us left and we sat around praying for you all, for Watermark, and for The Porch. It was awesome.

I pray that you all know that we are here to serve you, pray with you, care for you, but most importantly we want you to come to know Jesus...and then we want you to share Him with others! We aren't about just having more people come on Tuesday nights in 2011. We want more people to experience this abundant life we've found in Christ, and become disciples going out into this city...this world sharing the Good News! I pray so much that you know your God. He is good. He is faithful. And He is worthy of all our praise.

"If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:13-17)

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Praying for you all~

www.theporchdallas.com